


She-Ra and the U.S-led Occupation of Etheria (Narrated by Wolf Blitzer)

by LopOfTheWoods



Category: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)
Genre: Dark, F/F, Halsey Tribute, Hijinks & Shenanigans, Relationships and Fantasy Realism, Temporary Amnesia, U.S Imperialism
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-23
Updated: 2019-08-02
Packaged: 2020-07-11 19:07:42
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 42,443
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19933036
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LopOfTheWoods/pseuds/LopOfTheWoods
Summary: Hordak has erred in opening his interdimensional portal, and now all of Etheria will pay the price. Can a mindwiped Catra and Adora put aside their confusing feelings and save their world from dangerous forces? Or will they succumb to uncertainty and the fear of second chances? Follow along with historical commentary by Wolf Blitzer as we find out...





	1. Oh Good, You're Awake

_Hi, Wolf Blitzer here. I was sent this transcript by the U.S Military in order that I might narrate it for easy consumption by the general population. Upon recording my lines, I understand the transcript would be sent back to the Pentagon so that major parts would be edited out or revised, at which point I would receive it again and record new bits. This task is a vehicle for imperialist propaganda, and I simply will not have it. I have watched this country descend into a dark reflection of its worst attributes over these last four years. Institutions are collapsing, and lawmakers are failing us.. On a more personal note, a close friend of mine died while waiting for veteran assistance from the VA. I cannot in good conscience participate in furthering the aims of the U.S Military, or their continued occupation of the region known as Etheria. Instead, I will be releasing the original, unedited transcripts of the U.S-led invasion aftermath, as well as the recordings and story of those caught up in it. May God have mercy on our souls for what we have done, as evidenced by this docket._

The one known as Catra awoke on a cold, hard floor. She knew she was Catra, and she knew cold and hard, but beyond that, the short-furred individual knew little else. She groaned as she placed her palms on the floor and pushed herself up. Her whole body ached, and her head throbbed. Catra slowly sat up and looked around.

She was in a cell. She knew what a cell was, which meant imprisonment. Something smoldered deep inside her, but Catra couldn’t understand what it meant. Imprisonment was bad, Catra knew that. Her tail curled around her waist as she hugged her knees. She closed her eyes. Her headache wouldn’t go away, but she needed to focus.

A noise startled her. It was so loud she thought she was dying. It sounded like a thousand explosions, followed by a putrid smell. Catra scrambled into the corner of the cell as the noises started back up.

_KRAKRAKRAKRAKRAK! KRAK KRAK!_

She plugged her fingers in her ears, desperately trying to block out the sound. Her ears rung as the noises faded. Catra heard footsteps, then a strange figure appeared. It was a man, though only his face was visible. He wore strangely-patterned pads all over his body, as well as a helmet. Though none of it was metal, or looked particularly sturdy. The man resembled a pillow someone sewed together with extreme seriousness. He held a gun, though Catra couldn’t really call it a gun. It was narrow and black, and extremely…ugly.

The man paused outside of Catra’s cell, turning to the short-furred figure. He gazed upon her, as if he were coming to a decision. “What are you,” He said, his voice low.

Catra remained in the corner, hunched. Her tail slowly moved behind her. She didn’t respond, simply narrowing her eyes as she studied the man.

“They say this is all real,” The man continued, though it didn’t seem like he was talking to Catra. “But it doesn’t make sense. We came here through a gate built into a child’s mind. I saw it myself.” The man lowered his gun, then backed up. He reached the bars of the opposite cell, then slowly slid down to the floor. He set the gun beside him and buried his face in his hands. “I don’t understand what we’re doing here. They say this is what will save our planet. But nothing makes sense. The thing’s they’re asking us to do, it’s worse then what they had me doing in Africa. But at least there we had enemies and objectives. Here, the left hand doesn’t know what the right hand is doing,”

Catra slowly left her corner, crawling cautiously on all fours towards the bars. The man raised his head, his expression anguished. “And now nobody’s answering the radio! We’ve lost contact with command! That mean can only mean one thing!”

“What,” Catra said, watching the man intently.

The man didn’t respond, the anguished expression remaining. He slowly closed his eyes and began sobbing. The sobbing continued as Catra stared. It slowly stopped, and the man raised his tear-stained eyes up towards the cat girl. His expression hardened, and his hand slowly went for his gun.

“HI-YA!” A voice yelled. Someone in the cell behind him karate-chopped his neck, dropping the pillow-man instantly. A figure appeared at the bars.

It was a girl, roughly Catra’s age. She wore the same tan jumpsuit Catra wore, but instead of being a cat girl, she was human. A human with blond hair tied back in a pony-tail, and a face that made Catra want to punch things. She couldn’t say why.

“Hey!” The girl said, waving from her cell. “Hope you didn’t mind me butting in, but he wasn’t acting very friendly,”

Catra briefly glanced at the gun lying by the pillow-man’s side. “Hm,” She said, simply.

“Soooo, what’s your name?”

“Catra,” Catra said, reaching a hand through the bars. She struggled to grasp the pillow-man’s boot, but just barely couldn’t reach.

The girl put a finger to her chin, as if mulling the name over. “Catra….Catraaa…..Caaaaattttrrraaaaa,”

“Yes you’ve got it!” Catra said, grasping in vain for the man’s boot. “Now shove him closer to me!”

The girl knelt down, inspecting the man slumped against her bars. “My name’s Adora…I think,” She gave a shove, pushing the unconscious man forward.

Catra froze upon hearing the name. It rang a bell. A bell she didn’t like. Or maybe, she did? It didn’t matter, bells were stupid. “Push him closer,” She said through gritted teeth, still reaching through the bars.

“Oh right,” Adora said, bracing herself against the metal. She put a foot through, then began kicking the man across the floor. He slowly rolled in a heap closer and closer, until Catra snagged his helmet. She pulled him the rest of the way to the bars, then began rummaging through his pads and packs. “Sooo,” Adora said, resting her arms through the bars. “Watcha doing?”

“Trying to find a key,” Catra said, looking at the ceiling as she dug in one of the packs.

“Oh yeah, a key,” Adora said, turning around and resting back against the bars. “Yeah that makes sense. Since…we’re trapped…in here….” Adora turned suddenly. “Hey do you know why we’re trapped in here?”

Catra fished out a square card with a scanstrip. Wait, did she know what a scanstrip was? Evidently she did. She waved it in front of her cell, then heard a satisfying click. With a tug, the iron bars rolled sideways. “No,” Catra said, leaving her cell. “I don’t know why,”

Adora watched her walk past her cell. “Hey wait up!” Catra paused. “Aren’t you going to let me out? We could help each other! Or…you know, something,”

Catra took a deep breath, then flicked the card over her shoulder. It went neatly into the girl’s cell. “I don’t like you,” The cat girl said, not bothering to turn around. “And I don’t know why,”

“Well I like you,” Adora said, waving the card in front of her bars. A mechanism clicked. “And I know why!” She slid the door back, stepping out into the hall with her hands on her hips. “Because you’ve just freed me! Your best chance at getting out of here!”

“Oh really,” Catra said, glancing over her shoulder with a raised eyebrow. “Somehow I doubt that,”

“Well I feel strong,” Adora said, flexing one arm. She poked the muscle. “Look at that, just look at it,” Adora approached, still flexing. “See? Poke it, just poke it, feel how strong it is,”

“I’m not poking it,” Catra said, crossing her arms and turning away. “You’re weird,”

“And you’re,” Adora paused, studying Catra. “A cat?”

Catra spun, putting a single nail under Adora’s chin. “Say that again,”

Adora’s eyes went wide, then she slowly grinned. “Nice kitty,”

“YEAARRGGGGG!” Catra yelled, spinning around and lashing out with a kick. Adora caught it, holding it for a moment. Catra was surprised, staring at the hand that held her ankle in the air. “You caught my kick,”

“I caught your kick,” Adora said, equally surprised.

“HE-YA!” Catra yelled, breaking away and swiping with a claw. Adora blocked it, throwing up her arm. The girls froze in their stances, eyes locked.

One, two three, four punches Catra threw, which Adora blocked. The blonde-haired girl switched stances and launched into her own attack, throwing out three punches and a kick. Catra blocked all of them, catching the kick like Adora had caught hers. She held the girl’s leg, eyes narrowed.

“Are we dancing or fighting?” Adora said, confused.

“I don’t know,” Catra said, refusing to let go of her ankle. “I have a lot of weird feelings inside me and I hate them all,”

Adora didn’t seem to mind that Catra held her leg mid-kick. She furrowed her brow, clearly thinking. “Do you think we’re…warriors?”

Catra exhaled slowly, letting Adora’s leg drop to the floor. “No…maybe…I don’t know,” She slammed her back into the bars of a cell and slid down to the floor. “All of this is so confusing,”

“Yeah what do you think his deal was,” Adora said, nodding at the unconscious man.

Catra focused intently on the padded person, then slowly approached on all fours. She leaned over him. Adora bent down and poked his face with a finger. “Don’t do that,” Catra said, finding the side-pouch she wanted. She unclipped it, slowly withdrawing the gun. She turned it over in her hand. It was heavy, cumbersome. Catra slowly extended it to Adora. “Here, take it,”

“What is it?” Adora said, wide-eyed.

“A gun, I think,”

Adora furrowed her brow, slowly taking the weapon. “Oh! I know what that is! They shoot lasers…I think,”

“Not these ones,” Catra said, picking up the larger weapon.

“Hey why do you get the big one?”

“Because,” Catra said, hefting the weapon. “I’m clearly the stronger of the two of us,”

“Oh that is so not true,” Adora said, quickly standing. “I could lift you over my head right now. In fact I want to do it. Let me lift you over my head,”

“You are not lifting me over your head,” Catra said, her teeth gritted. She started down the hall, brushing past Adora. “Now come on before I leave you,”

Catra could feel the girl’s eyes on the back of her head. After a moment, Adora fell into step beside her. “Sooo,” Adora said, trying to hold the gun in her hand. “You don’t remember anything?”

“No,” Catra said, walking purposefully.

Adora sighed. “Neither do I. The last thing I remember is…waking up in that cell,”

Catra hated to admit it, but that was the last thing _she_ could remember too. “Something’s wrong,” she said, her voice low.

“Well obviously,” Adora stopped suddenly with a hand to her mouth. “Oh no,” She said, turning to Catra. “Do you think we’re criminals?”

“You look like you hug babies for fun,” Catra said, rolling her eyes and resuming walking. “I doubt it,”

“Don’t be ridiculous,” Adora said, catching up to her. “Where would I find a baby in here?”

Catra put a claw to her own forehead. “Oh my stars I hate you so much,”

“But we’ve only just met!” Adora said, confused.

Instead of responding, Catra noticed the door they had reached. It was ajar. A single bloodied hand stuck out from behind it, blocking the door from closing. Adora noticed the hand as well, staring down at it in silence. Catra fingered the weapon she held, then slowly raised it, pointing it at the door. Her eyes met Adora’s, and the cat girl nodded. Adora understood, going to the side of the door and bracing herself against the wall. She held up three fingers, counting down, then threw open the door.

“DON’T MOVE!” Catra yelled, running into the room. No one did. They were all dead. Catra should have smelled it earlier, but Adora must have distracted her. The stench wafted out, causing her to recoil.

“You heard her!” Adora yelled, spinning around into the doorway with the gun pointed. A moment later she gagged, stumbling back into the hallway. Catra remained, covering an arm with her nose. She slowly surveyed the room.

Bodies were slumped over tables and against walls. There were blood splatters everywhere. Catra couldn’t say why, but something was telling her these people had turned on themselves. They all wore the same clothing however. They were unlike the pillow-man, though the colors were similar; tan and green. Instead of pads and packs however, these people wore crisp, military-style uniforms. Though none Catra had ever seen before.

Adora slowly stepped into the room, covering her nose with her free hand. “Oh stars,” She said, her voice muffled. “How horrible!”

Catra didn’t respond. She crossed the room, stepping over a body. On the tables were computers. She remembered computers. These screens were black and white, with numbers and lines that she didn’t understand. Catra squinted at one as she inspected it.

She heard a zipping noise, then turned. Adora was slipping off her jumpsuit near a series of lockers, her back to Catra. The short-furred girl swallowed, her face growing red. Something about watching Adora bend down and tug the jumpsuit off her legs made Catra’s insides feel jumbled.

She didn’t like it.

Catra turned away, waiting for Adora to finish. “Hey Catra, look!” She turned back. Adora stood proudly, wearing the green and tan uniform. She pointed at a name stitched on the front. “I’m a Harris!” Turning, Adora opened another locker. She paused, staring at a sign on the door depicting a giant orange cat. There were words on the front that said _Mondays, am I right?_ Adora furrowed her brow in confusion, pointing at the poster. “Hey Catra, look, it’s looks like yo-”

“Don’t say it,” Catra said, a warning in her tone. Adora grinned, then took out another uniform from the locker and tossed it to Catra. The cat girl caught it, unfolding it in front of her and inspecting it.

“Why would I want to wear this?”

Adora shrugged. “Because it looks better than the jumpsuits?”

“These are the clothing of our enemies,”

“Oh…” Adora said, looking worried. “You think they’re our enemies?”

“Of course they are!” Catra yelled, throwing out an arm at a nearby corpse. “Why would they have us in cages!”

Adora shrugged, smiling sheepishly. “Maybe because…we’re criminals?”

Catra buried her face in her hand, taking a deep breath. “We’re not. Criminals.” She said, her teeth clenched. “Or at least I’m not. I know it,”

“Well, put on the suit,” Adora said, nodding wisely. “I bet you’ll look really pretty,”

Her face burning, Catra turned around and held the uniform close. “Don’t look,”

“Aww, are we shy?” Adora said, peering over Catra’s shoulder.

“ _We_ are not anything!” Catra yelled, stomping away. “ _I_ am getting very angry!” She heard Adora humming as she changed into the uniform. It wasn’t a perfect fit, and her sleeves hung past her hands. She held them up, waving the sleeves around.

Adora snorted, struggling not to laugh. “I’m sorry!” She said, holding up a palm to Catra’s murderous look. “You just look so adorable!”

“I will kill you,” Catra said, gritting her teeth.

A sound interrupted them. It was a loud crackle. A moment later, a voice came through. “-Niner-niner Foxtrot Alpha, I repeat, tangos in sector seven grid 43-B, requesting immediate drone support, over,”

Adora and Catra moved closer to each other, their eyes wide as they watched the device that had spoke. “H-hello?” Adora said.

“It’s…” Catra said, her tail swishing suspiciously. “A radio…”

“I think I know what that is,” Adora said. “Should we introduce ourselves?”

Catra slowly nodded, taking a step forward. “Identify yourself,”

“No no,” Adora said, walking past her. “Like this. Hello! I’m Adora and this is Catra, what’s your name?”

The radio didn’t respond. Both Catra and Adora leaned in. “Repeat!” The radio squawked, forcing both girls to jump back. “We are under heavy fire, requesting immediate air-support!”

“I don’t know what that is!” Adora said, gesturing in distress. “Please be more specific!”

The radio fell silent. “We should get out of here,” Catra said, looking around at the bodies.

Adora waited a few more beats as she gazed at the radio. Her shoulders sagged and she nodded. “Yeah, okay, they just sounded like they were in trouble,”

Catra hesitated. It _did_ sound like they were in trouble, but what did it matter? She took the strap of her weapon and slung it over her shoulder. Slowly, ever so slowly, Catra reached out and tugged on Adora’s wrist. “C’mon, they’ll be fine,”

Seemingly crestfallen, Adora allowed Catra to gently pull her sleeve in the direction of another door. They approached, the cat girl stopping next to two slumped bodies. She took the caps off each of them, handing one to Adora. The blonde girl took the cap, taking a moment to affix it on her head. Catra tried to do the same, but her ears got in the way. Finally she gave up, throwing it away and taking a black beret from a nearby table. She pulled it down over her head, squashing her ears, then opened the door.

Bright sunlight streamed in. Both Adora and Catra shielded themselves, slowly lowering their arms. Catra blinked, surveying the outside. They were in a walled-in compound, with multitudes of flimsy-looking buildings and green tents. Strange vehicles, bulky and with four plump wheels, rested in a row. Trees poked up beyond the wall.

“Whoa,” Adora said, stepping out into the sunlight. “This is all so…bizarre? Yeah, I think it’s bizarre,”

Catra narrowed her eyes as she walked forward. Her hand gripped the gun as she turned her head left and right. “HELLO!” A voice yelled. “HELLO!” A man and a woman sprinted towards them. They both wore white jump-suits with vests. The man reached them first, stopping to catch his breath. He straightened up. “Oh thank God,” He said, nodding at Adora. “Captain Harris is it?”

Adora, wide-eyed, glanced at Catra. The short-furred girl slowly nodded. Adora turned back to the man and grinned innocently. “ _Yes._ Captain Harris is exactly who I am,”

“This place is a fucking madhouse!” The woman exclaimed, also catching her breath. “We heard gunshots inside the center, is everything alright?”

Still grinning, Adora nodded her head, then paused and shook it. “Ah, no, everyone appears to be dead,”

The man and woman were stunned. “But…” The man said, his eyes wide. “Why…?”

Adora’s expression froze, her mind clearly struggling for an answer. She slowly shrugged. “Mondays, am I right?”

The man and woman stared at her in disbelief. “W-what?” The woman said, clearly in shock.

“What she meant to say is we’re in trouble,” Catra said, stepping forward. “Alpha-Foxtrot needs air-support, but we can’t seem to figure it out,”

The man gasped. “Oh no, does that mean…” He paused, glancing at the woman. “The drone base is down too!”

“Oh shit,” The woman said, burying her face in her hands. “Nononononono,”

“Soooo,” Adora said, flicking some lint off her uniform. “Who are you guys exactly?”

The man and woman seemed to recover. “Oh, right,” The man said, knocking himself lightly on the forehead. “Duh, sorry captain. I’m Roger, this is Mona, we’re with Google,”

The woman nodded. “We’re laying down the new fiber-optic cables,”

“Right,” Adora said, making finger guns at the pair. “Fiber optic cables, niceeeee,” She leaned over to Catra, whispering. “ _what’s a fiber optic cable,”_

“We need to find a way out of here,” Catra said, fixing the man and woman with a stare. “Can you help us?”

The two people, who called themselves “with Google”, shared a look. “Well sure,” The woman said, gesturing vaguely at one of the vehicles. “Can’t we just take a Humvee?”

“Yes, of course,” Adora said, nodding as if she knew the whole time. “A Humvee sounds extremely cute and I want to take one right now,”

“Right,” The man said, confused. “…cute,”

Catra brushed between the pair, walking towards the vehicles. “I’m interested in which Humvee you think is the best Humvee,”

“Wait,” The woman said, catching up to her. “I’m sorry Lieutenant Phillips, what do you mean?” The man and Adora caught up as well.

“The best Humvee,” Catra said, not breaking stride. “Point it out,”

“Uhhh, any of them, right? They’re all the same?”

“Not at all!” Adora said, marching ahead with confidence. “One of these is the cutest Humvee! Point that one out!”

“Okayyyy,” The man said, coming to a stop. “I’m sorry, Mona, these two are clearly not military,”

The woman stopped as well. “Roger! Watch what you say!”

“No c’mon,” Roger said, gesturing. “I was in shock so I didn’t really notice, but they’re both like, what, fifteen? And that one has a tail,”

The woman carefully glanced out of the corner of her eye at Catra. Her eyes went wide as she noticed the tail. “Oh c’mon,” Adora said, crossing her arms with the gun. “What’s wrong with having a tail?”

Neither Roger nor Mona said a word, taking a step back. “P-please don’t hurt us,” Mona said, her eyes going to Catra’s gun.

“Maybe we will,” Catra said, her voice low. “Maybe we won’t. Right now, we need you guys to get us out of here,”

“Oh shit,” Roger said, sharing a look with Mona. 

Catra just grinned. 


	2. New Friends, Old Faces

_Our own nation’s military enacted Operation Paperclip immediately following World War Two. It was an effort by the U.S government to find and grant citizenships to a variety of Nazi scientists. They did this to take advantage of the scientist’s knowledge of rockets and propulsion, but it is in this man’s humble opinion that ends do not justify the means. We made it to the moon first, but at what cost? What other deals with the devil have we made in the name of beating our rivals? Hi, Wolf Blitzer again. I’m still here. Just imagine my voice for all the parts that don’t involve dialogue. I’ve never fancied myself good at impressions._

“wuWHOOOOOO!” Adora yelled, gripping the steering wheel as the Humvee landed on the ground. The wheels spun, keeping them at a breakneck speed. Catra sat in the seat next to her, her fur standing straight-up as her claws dug into the seat.

“Slow DOWN!” she hissed, squeezing her eyes shut as they neared a tree.

Adora turned the wheel sharply, the Humvee tipping dangerously as it swerved out of the way. “This is so, much, FUN!” Adora yelled, laughing.

“You’re crazy!” Roger yelled, his head banging against the window. “AGH!”

“pleasepleaseplease,” Mona said, shaking her head as she gripped her seatbelt.

Adora slammed on the breaks. The vehicle skidded, throwing dirt across the windshield. She let off the break, and the Humvee rolled forward. It bumped into a tree, stopping. Everyone jerked forward, coming back to a rest against their seats. Roger and Mona were in shock. Catra was pissed.

“You!” She yelled, turning with her claws extended.

“Ah!” Adora yelled, throwing up her hands. “It’s not my fault!” She reached behind her and found the door, tumbling out backwards. Catra tried to jump after her, but was ensnared by her seatbelt. She tore at the strap, ripping it away, then bent her knees and leapt out. Adora was already on her feet and running.

Catra thought about chasing her, but paused. She looked around, taking in her surroundings. They were in a forest. The trees looked vaguely familiar to Catra, a distant memory flickering in her mind. She felt, somehow, that it involved Adora.

Her eyes found the girl, who was resting with a hand against a tree. She jogged back over, stopping in front of Catra as Roger and Mona got out of the Humvee. “Well,” Adora said. “This looks…I don’t know,”

“We are way, way, way out of the green zone,” Roger said, staying close to the vehicle. “Please let us go back to the base,”

Catra stared at the man, then raised an eyebrow. “Are you sureee about that?” She said, smiling. “Seemed like a dangerous place to be,”

“Relax guys,” Adora said. “We’ve got this under control. Just as soon as we figure out…what we’re doing,” She turned to Catra. “There were some…disturbing things back there, but are you sure we should be out here?” Her eyes went up to the leafy canopy. 

“Anywhere but back there,” Catra said, her tone sullen.

Mona edged away from them and began crawling back into the Humvee. “T-there should be a map somewhere,”

“Okay,” Adora said, putting her hand to her chin. “What do we know. One, I’m Adora, you’re Catra. Two, we might be criminals,”

Catra crossed her arms and rolled her eyes. “Why don’t we just ask the Moogle people why?”

“It’s uh, Google,” Roger said.

“I like Moogle better. So now you’re Moogle,” Catra took a few steps forward, leaning in towards Roger with a dangerous look. “So tell us Moogle, why were in cells?”

A helpless expression passed over his face. He gave a slow shrug. “C-c’mon, I’m just…” He looked at Adora helplessly. “C’mon! We don’t know that stuff! You were enemy combatants? I don’t know!”

The Humvee door slammed, then Mona crawled into the front seat and lunged for the other open door. Catra and Adora watched as she grasped for it, finally grabbing and pulling it shut. Something in the Humvee clicked.

“Did she just…?” Adora said, a puzzled look on her face. Catra stalked over to the vehicle and pulled on the door handle. It didn’t open. She banged on the window, but Mona crawled away into the backseat. Taking a deep breath, Catra took a few steps back and aimed her gun at the window. “Waitwaitwait!” Adora jumped in front of her, waving her arms. “Don’t just shoot!”

“Why not,” Catra said, narrowing her eyes.

“Because…” Adora said, a look of concentration on her face. “I can’t explain it, but I know it would be wrong. What if you were to hurt her?”

Catra just stared at Adora. “That would be good. Then we could get back into the vehicle,”

Adora raised her hand and placed it on the gun barrel, lowering it. “No,” She said, shaking her head. “We’re not just going to shoot lasers at people,”

“They don’t shoot lasers,” Catra said, palming her forehead. “I told you, they’re much more-”

“shit!” Roger yelled, taking off for the forest. Adora and Catra watched him disappear into the trees.

Catra gestured in the direction he ran. “Well great, there’s that,”

“I don’t know,” Adora said, shrugging with a smile. “I kind of like it better just the two of us,”

“Sure,” Catra said, sighing. “Why not,” She started off in the opposite direction Roger ran, tugging on her beret. After a beat, Adora followed.

The forest stretched on. Catra found she could climb trees, and hop from branch to branch. This proved very useful, as Adora liked to talk.

A lot.

Unfortunately, the blond girl was also rather athletic, and always managed to catch up. Catra enjoyed a brief respite from her as she perched atop a branch, surveying a distant valley as her tail swished.

“Hey,” Adora said, landing next to Catra.

She hissed in surprise, her hair standing on end. “Don’t do that!”

Adora gazed out from the branch, taking in the view. “wow…” She said. “It’s beautiful,”

Catra couldn’t help but agree. She wouldn’t out loud of course. For some reason, agreeing with Adora felt wrong. She knew it was somehow integral to who she was that she must never let Adora know she agreed with her.

The cat girl’s attention was drawn by the distant cliff. She narrowed her eyes as she studied it, then slowly widened them. “Adora,” She said, tugging on her uniform sleeve. Catra pointed. “Look,”

Adora gazed out for a few moments. “Whattttt am I looking at,”

“Up there, on the cliff? You see it? Buildings,”

“I see it,” Adora said, suddenly concentrating and growing serious. She was like a whole new person, one that made Catra’s hand slowly lower. “How are we going to cross this valley and get up there?” Catra didn’t answer, eyeing Adora suspiciously as her ears twitched beneath her beret. Adora finally looked over at her, her look of concentration softening. “Catra?”

Glancing away quickly, the cat girl gazed out over the valley. “It won’t be too hard,” She said, her tone seemingly uninterested. “We’ll just stick next to the edge,”

“Got it,” Adora said, then dropped down from the branch. Catra scowled, then hopped down after her.

The pair managed to slip quickly through the underbrush. It was growing hot, and the sounds of animals grew closer. Catra always managed to keep a glimpse of the cliff through the canopy as she ran.

She skid to a sudden stop. Adora did the same next to her. Ahead of them, shapes rose. Gun barrels pointed out of foliage, and plants shifted. It turned out to be six figures dressed like the jungle. They were all armed. Catra froze, eyeing them. One by one, they slowly lowered their weapons. One of them stepped forward, taking his hat off. It was a human male, his face painted white like a skull. His eyes seemed distant, yet hyper vigilant. “C-captain?” the man said, blinking. “Captain Harris?”

“No way,” Catra muttered. “They can’t be this stupid,”

“Look at their eyes,” Adora said, slipping back into her look of concentration. “There’s something off about them. I don’t think they’re acting right,”

Catra grit her teeth. “Yeah obviously, they want to kill us,”

“Captain Harris! Lieutenant Phillips!” The man said, taking another step forward. “P-please, you have to lead us! You have to save us!” The other figures nodded, muttering.

“And why should we do that?” Catra said, crossing her arms.

“What?” The man said, his expression growing intense.

“Hahahaaaa!” Adora said, taking a step in front of Catra. “Of course we’ll lead you!” She pointed to the cliff. “To there! We will lead you there!”

Looks of horror passed over the men’s faces. “Why would you want to lead us there?” The lead one said. “The drone’s have changed, they’re not responding,”

“They’ve gone crazy,” Another added.

“Crazy drones,” Adora said, glancing at Catra. “Sounds like something we might want to stay away from…”

Catra shook her head. “No, that’s where we’re headed. I remember something about that cliff,” 

Adora waited for more, but Catra wasn’t about to oblige. Nodding to herself, the blond girl turned back to the men. “Well, since I’m _captain_ Harris, you have to do what I say, right?” The men didn’t respond. Adora threw out an arm, pointing again at the cliff. “Forward!” The men spread out, forming a loose line. They began moving through the underbrush, blending in with their surroundings. “Huh,” Adora said, putting a hand to her hip. “I guess they really are messed-up in the head, if they thought I was their captain,”

“That’s what I’m worried about,” Catra said, her tail swishing suspiciously. She started after the men, and heard the sounds of Adora following.

Night fell quicker than the short-furred girl anticipated. As the sun dipped beneath the horizon, Catra and Adora ran into the line of men. They stood still, gazing forward. “What,” Catra said, irritated.

“Sir this is a good spot to camp,”

Catra waited for her eyes to adjust, staring intently through the canopy. She could see the cliff. It was very close. “We’re almost there,”

“It won’t be good to climb during the night. And we will need to climb. The drones keep watch over the slope on the other side,”

Sighing, Catra rubbed the bridge of her nose. “Fine, we’ll camp,”

The man with a skull painted on his face pointed out two men. “Take first watch,”

Catra approached a tree, curling up at the base and closing her eyes. She was tired. And sore. The day had been confusing, and Catra felt she was missing a huge piece of who she was. She heard the sounds of movement behind her, but concentrated on falling asleep.

Sometime later, close rustling brought her awake with a jolt. She sat up, claws extended. Adora was kneeling nearby, patting a spot of dirt next to her. “What are you doing,” Catra said, her teeth clenched.

“The skull guys talk in their sleep,” Adora said, lying down in the dirt. “And I couldn’t really relax over there,”

“Whatever,” Catra said, rolling over and facing away. She resisted jumping as Adora lay down next to her, pressing her back to Catra’s. Taking a deep breath, Catra closed her eyes and tried to sleep.

“hey,” Adora said, her voice soft.

Catra didn’t bother opening her eyes. “what,”

“This is all weird, right?”

“I guess. What’s your point?”

She felt Adora shift behind her. “I don’t know, I just feel…I’m missing something. Something important,”

Catra didn’t answer for a few moments. “we’ll figure it out,” She said, her voice low.

“Hey Catra?”

“what,”

She felt Adora turn, facing her back. Catra’s heart beat in her chest, her face burning. “I can’t say why,” The girl began, pausing. “But I’m glad you were in the cell across from mine,”

“Go to sleep Adora,” Catra said, curling up into herself.

The next morning, or rather, right before sunrise, the cat girl felt herself shaken awake by a hand. She sat upright, hissing. Adora struggled up next to her, blinking in confusion. “whuzhappening,”

The man with a skull on his face put a finger to his lips. He gestured with a harness and rope, then pointed at the cliff. Catra nodded, getting up. Adora did the same.

In silence, the men and girls approached the rocky surface. One man took the lead, climbing up and finding footholds. Every so often, he’d take a metal object from his belt and hammer it into the cliff. The other men attached their harnesses and followed up after.

Catra and Adora went up second to last, with the lead man following up behind them. The climb for the cat girl wasn’t so difficult. She felt she maybe could have done it without the rope and harness. Adora did remarkably well too, finding her handholds and footholds with practiced ease.

After nearly an hour of climbing, Catra glanced up to see the first man pulling himself over the edge. The rest did the same, disappearing from her view. When Catra reached the top, sturdy hands reached down to pull her the rest of the way.

“I’ve got it,” She said, brushing past the skull-men. A moment later, Catra was forced to duck.

A white shape screeched overhead, followed by a low, booming roll. Dirt kicked up around Catra, and the men took off running. “FIND COVER!” One of them yelled.

Catra ran forward, then stopped. She glanced over her shoulder at Adora, who was pulling herself up. A mess of feelings welled up inside the cat girl, and she doubled back. “C’mon,” Catra said, pulling Adora up.

The white shape passed overhead again, booming and roaring and kicking up dirt. Catra felt something hot whiz by her, and understood deep down what was happening. They were under a very, very dangerous type of attack. An attack you couldn’t see. The ugly guns, and their terrible sounds.

The two girls sprinted across the cliff slope. A strange, rectangular strip stretched out in front of them, and half-crescent buildings poked up at the end. Catra headed for the buildings. Her feet hit the strip, feeling its hard, heated surface.

The white shape soared overhead again, landing on the strip and blocking their path. It reared up, revealing a white, smooth, metal monster. It looked so harmless to Catra, with its curves and roundness. The metal creature opened its mouth, revealing rows of teeth.

“Oh stars,” Adora muttered. The creature lurched forward.

Before it could reach them, the metal monster shuddered. It paused, shuddering again. The creature leaned back, screeching towards the sky, then collapsed in a heap of metal.

“Got it!” A voice yelled. “That’s mine thank you! No touching please!”

A figure, if Catra could call it a figure, skipped over on two, long purple legs. A moment later, Catra realized the legs were hair. The figure was in fact a girl, wearing a blacksmith’s apron and a metal mask with two large red eyes. She lifted herself over the collapsed monster with her hair, then lowered down and began tinkering with her hands.

“Uhh, hello,” Adora said, slowly approaching.

“Oh hey Adora,” The girl said, wholly concentrated on the drone. “Hey Catra,” The girl paused, looking up sharply. “Adora! Catra! You’re alive!”

Adora furrowed her brow in confusion. “You know us?”

“Do I!” The girl said, raising her mask to reveal an excited face. “Of course I do! And you know me!”

“No we don’t,” Catra said, crossing her arms and standing next to Adora.

“Oh,” The girl said, slowly lowering her hands. Her expression grew worried, then excited again. “Well, that’s okay, your memories just need adjusting! I’ll start by reintroducing myself!” She stood on the drone, freeing one of her strands of hair. She extended the hair towards Adora. “I’m Entrapta, pleased to meet you! Again!”

“Ah,” Adora said, slowly taking the hair and shaking it. “Well, nice to meet you Entrapta!”

The purple haired girl beamed. Catra said nothing, her arms still crossed, and her eyes narrowed.

There was so much she was still missing. But maybe, just maybe, Entrapta might help her find some answers…


	3. Things Are Weird Here

_The MK Ultra scandal was a project by the U.S to test the effects of mind control and manipulation on human subjects. Among the methods they used were LSD-- a highly psychedelic drug-- verbal abuse and hypnosis. The government undertook this testing without the consent of its participants. Not only did the test subjects not consent, or understand what was happening, several of them committed apparent suicide later on in life, most likely due to the phycological stress of being part of such a project. The government did everything in its power to cover up the experiment’s existence, but a congressional hearing revealed large portions of previously redacted information. This is Wolf Blizter, reminding you to strive for a rosy world, but do mind the thorns._

Catra gazed over the heap of white metal. She knelt down by the monster, leaning in cautiously to examine its mouth and teeth. The creature looked even less dangerous now that it was on the ground.

“So how did you guys lose your memories??” Entrapta said. She circled around Adora, then Catra, using her long purple hair as stilts. She put her face close to Catra, squinting. “hmmmm, and you’re wearing the uniforms of the enemy!”

Catra waved her away, straightening up from the drone. “We don’t know why we can’t remember,” Adora said, shrugging. “We just woke up in cells,”

“What is this thing,” Catra said, nudging the metal creature with her foot.

Entrapta clapped her hands together. “It’s aMAZING is what it is! A complete integration of biological and mechanical components in a way that shouldn’t be possible!”

“Right,” Adroa said, putting her hand to her chin. “That didn’t make sense, and I’m tired of being confused. Let’s start with the basics. Who am I?”

“Well…” Entrapta said, gesturing vaguely. “You’re Princess Adora,”

“ _Princess?_ ” Adora said, surprised. It slowly turned into a grin, which she aimed at Catra. “Hear that? I’m a _princess_ ,”

Catra rolled her eyes. “Whatever, who am I?”

“Force Captain Catra!” Entrapta said, beaming brightly. Her happy expression faded. “Well, I’m not so sure anymore. It’s hard to say what with the Horde being gone,”

Brief, flickering memories tugged at the corners of Catra’s mind. She hated the feeling, not knowing who she was. “The Horde…” She repeated, scowling.

Entrapta nodded. “Yup! We were both doing things for them!”

“What was I doing?” Adora said, tilting her head.

“Wellllll,” Entrapta said, rubbing her head with a long strand of hair. “You were fighting us? I guess?”

Adora blinked. “I was…fighting you guys?” Catra furrowed her brow, scrutinizing the blonde girl in a new light.

“I mean, not you.” Entrapta said, gesturing with her other strand of hair. “Well, yes you. Two of you. You and She-Ra,”

Adora looked even more confused. “Who’s She-Ra?” 

“You!” Entrapa said. She looked over her shoulder at the heap of metal. Using her purple hair, Entrapta slowly maneuvered over it, then lowered down to tinker. “Just gonna retrieve some things real quick,”

“So…” Adora said, clearly struggling. “I’m a princess, but also a different person. And…I fight you two?”

Entrapta held up a wrench in the air. “Now you’re getting it! Though, you probably don’t have to fight us anymore now that Hordak’s gone,” She tapped the wrench on her wielders mask, dropping it over her face.

“What happened,” Catra said, her voice dangerously low. She felt like understanding was just barely out of her grasp.

“Oh, well once the portal opened and the star-stripe people came, things got really, really crazy!” Entrapa paused to stick her arm into the drone and then tear something out. “Emily!” She yelled, waving the sparking part in the air. “Come hold this for me please!”

An orb rolled out from behind a stack of crates. It continued rolling down the rectangular strip, stopping in front of the metal monster and sprouting three segmented legs. A singular circle flashed on its surface, revealing an eye. The orb clicked and whirred, doing its best to balance the part on one of its legs.

“So,” Adora said, holding both her hands in front of her. “We were fighting each other,” She moved her hands to the side. “But then _new_ people came?”

“Who are these star-stripe people,” Catra said.

Entrapta paused her rummaging in the drone, looking up at Catra and lifting her mask with a hair strand. “They’re _energy vampires_ , like the Horde but better! They appear and destroy everything so they can build bases, so that they can destroy more! And then they build more bases to take minerals and stuff from the ground!”

“Why?” Adora said, looking confused.

“Why?” Entrapta said, tapping her chin gently with her wrench. “Well, I don’t know why!” She resumed rummaging in the drone. “Because they’re vampires I guess, and they like to destroy!” 

Adora’s confusion was replaced by determination. “That settles it then, we’re going to have to stop the star-stripes,” She turned to Catra. “Right?”

Catra snorted, turning away. “We don’t _have_ to do anything. I certainly don’t,”

“But these energy vampires sound awful!” Adora said, gesturing. “We can’t let them destroy our world!”

“Do you even remember this place?” Catra said, doing a slow turn. “Because I barely do! And besides, apparently, we’re enemies!”

Adora’s brow wrinkled as she thought. “Well, we don’t have to be. I don’t…feel, like you’re my enemy,”

“Oh who cares what you feel,” Catra said, storming a distance away. She knelt down, wrapping her tail around herself and placing her gun on the ground beside her. After a moment, she tossed the beret away as well, letting her ears and hair free.

She needed to think. There was a lot of new information. A lot of validation of past feelings. And yet…Catra still felt like something was missing.

And Adora. _Adora._ Oh that girl made her mad. With her…blond hair and…face, and weird goofy/serious personality switch she liked to do. If Catra was being honest she didn’t actually know that much about Adora besides her being a princess.

Which was another reason to hate her, Catra somehow felt.

She continued brooding and thinking, but to no avail. “Hey,” A voice said. Catra hugged herself tighter with her tail, only briefly glancing over her shoulder. It was Adora, who held her cap between her hands. She approached Catra, folding her legs and sitting down beside her. “So…enemies huh…pretty crazy, right?” She laughed, but it died.

“Yeah I guess,” Catra said, trying with all her might to remember something, anything.

“I was talking to Entrapta, and she’s willing to help us out with the star-stripe people if she gets a chance to check out their tech-“

“There is no us,” Catra said, her voice muffled as she pressed her face into her knees. “Why would you ever think we’re a team? We were enemies before,”

Adora seemed to struggle. “Right, but it doesn’t _feel_ like we’re enemies, does it? I feel strong things when I’m with you, and they’re not always good, but I feel them. And that’s the most real thing I know right now, practically the only thing I know!”

“Well I get angry when I look at you!” Catra said, raising her face from her knees. “I feel…hurt! Or something,” Catra turned away from her. “I don’t know!”

Silence descended on the clifftop. Adora seemed to think for a bit. “Well,” She said. “Maybe we could just start doing something new, anything. If we go after the energy vampires, maybe that will trigger memories? Especially because we’re both warriors,”

“Uhhh, guys?” Entrapa said, her voice carrying over to them.

“What,” Catra said.

“I wasn’t really paying attention and now we’re surrounded,”

Catra’s jumped up, spinning around. They were indeed surrounded. White, metal monsters perched on the clifftop, gathering closer. They opened and closed their jaws, revealing rows and rows of sharp teeth. Catra hissed and extended her claws. Adora tried to find where she set her gun, but gave up and raised her fists. “We should probably make a break for the buildings,”

Entrapta looked confused. “Adora, where’s your sword?”

“My sword?”

“Yeah! You know, bout this big, this wide, pointy on one end?” 

Adora just shook her head. “I didn’t know…I had a sword?”

“Less talking!” Catra yelled, scooping up her gun. “More fighting!” Her finger found the trigger and pulled it. The gun jumped up in her hand, exploding with noise and shooting wildly. Catra’s eyes went wide as the weapon kicked from her grasp, knocking against the pavement and firing off another few loud bangs.

The drones took this opportunity to attack. “Emily!” Entrapta yelled. “Protect and destroy!”

The sphere retracted its legs and rolled around, firing off lasers as it did. Several of the drones were hit, rearing back with cries of animal fury. Catra bent down and picked back up the gun, remaining kneeling. She gripped the weapon with all her might and squeezed the trigger again.

This time when the barrel jumped, Catra held it steady. Small objects zipped out, hitting one of the drones and denting its metallic face. She kept the trigger pulled until the gun stopped firing and started clicking.

“Stars!” Catra yelled, tossing the weapon to the side. “Adora, give me yours!” The blonde girl looked around, then found the weapon and slid to it. With a single motion she grabbed it and tossed the gun. Catra caught it and aimed, squeezing the trigger. The smaller weapon jumped, catching an approaching drone in the mouth and causing it to collapse and skid across the grass.

Another drone lunged for Adora, who did a graceful backflip as it sailed underneath her. She landed, then spun and kicked off the metal monster as it lunged a second time. Something streaked through the air, and a moment later a shockwave sent Catra, Adora and Entrapa onto their backs. Fire bloomed up into the sky, then another object impacted into a drone, sending a second shockwave out. Gunfire started up. The bullets downed several of the drones. The rest flapped their wings with angry cries and took off into the air.

Catra slowly got up, finding a hand extended down towards her. She looked up to see Adora. “I don’t need your help,” Catra said, brushing it aside and standing.

They had been saved by the six men dressed as plants. They slowly approached, their weapons held at the ready. “Oooohhhh,” Entrapa said. “Enemy soldiers! And they saved us!”

“They think I’m one of them,” Adora said, glancing down at her uniform. “Catra too,”

“Well you are dressed like them!”

Catra crossed her arms and watched the figures approach. “Yeah but the Moogle people saw through us pretty easily, so I’m guessing these guys have more than a few screws loose,”

“Captain Harris!” The lead man said, jogging up to her. “Are you alright? We need to go!”

“Actually,” Adora said, furrowing her brow. “I need to find a sword,” She turned to Entrapa. “Any idea where it might be?”

Entrap put a strand of purple hair under her chin, thinking. “Well, the star-stripes probably have it, if you woke up in a cell,”

Catra turned away. She wasn’t sure whether she was interested or not. On the one hand, Adora getting the sword might unlock memories. On the other hand, helping Adora felt wrong. Probably because they used to be enemies.

“Then we’ve got to go back to that base,” Adora said, planting a fist into her palm. “I have a feeling my sword’s somewhere there,”

“Are you sure you even want it?” Catra said, still turned away. “It’s just a dumb sword, and we have these guns now,”

“Of course I do!” Adora said, sounding incredulous. “It sounds important! And…I feel it’s important…”

“Enough about your feelings!” Catra said, turning on her. “We need facts! Cold, hard, facts!”

“Fine!” Adora shouted back. “Then it’s a fact that I want to go and get the sword!”

Catra and Adora stared at each other with hostility. Adora exhaled, her demeanor changing to tired. “Please, just come with us. We’ve come this far, and I know if we work together we can find some answers,”

“Answers are exactly what I want,” Catra said, her angry tone fading to sullenness. “But you also want to go fight the star-stripes,”

“Well…yeah!”

Catra gestured at Entrapta. “Well according to her I was just like them! I worked for the Horde, right? She said the invaders were better versions of them!”

By now the figures had reached the three girls, standing a respectable distance away. They watched the exchange in silence. Adora shook her head. “I don’t believe that. You’ve been helping me, and that means something,”

“Will it still mean something when I get my memory back?”

Adora didn’t respond. She glanced at Entrapa. The purple-haired girl watched in fascination, resting cross-legged on the ends of her strands. Adora sighed. “We can figure that out when we get there, right?”

Catra stared at her, then scowled and turned away. “Fine, but the second I find the answers I want, I’m leaving,” She stalked over to the standing figures. What answers did she want exactly? And where would she find them? “Alright star-stripes, we need to go to one of your bases. First things first, how many of you are there out there?”

The lead man brushed at the skull painted on his face. “You mean, how many units?” Catra nodded. “Well Lieutenant, it’s my understanding that there’s about four corps here,”

Adora came up to stand next to Catra. “How many is that?”

“Two-hundred thousand?”

Catra and Adora shared a look. The blonde princess frowned. “That’s…a lot,”

“You still want to fight the stars and stripes?” Catra said, raising an eyebrow.

After a moment, Adora nodded solemnly. “Yeah, we need to stop all the destruction Entrapta was talking about,” She turned to Catra. “What answers do you want?”

Shrugging, Catra inspected the end of her tail. “I don’t know, why I was with the Horde, why we were fighting. If I was right,”

“Right?” Adora said, confused.

“Yeah, which one of us was right. We were enemies, so one of us had to be doing what needed to be done, and the other was probably getting in the way,”

“It sounds like you’ve already decided,” Adora said, crossing her arms.

Catra tilted her head and shrugged. “Hm, who knows, guess we’ll have to go find those answers,” Without waiting for Adora to respond, she turned to the six figures. “So you’re soldiers then, right?”

“23rd Raiders unit,” The man said.

“Yeah cool,” Catra said dismissively. “We need to get to a base we were at,”

“Blue Eagle command center, right?”

“Sure, can you get us there?”

The men turned to their leader, who slowly nodded. He jerked a thumb back at one of the half-crescent structures. “There’s a UH-1 Venom in there, with enough fuel to get us there, I don’t know about back,”

Adora seemed to stare at the men, evaluating them. “So, as your Captain,” Adora began, pausing. “I think we should know a little more about what’s going on. When we first met, you guys said you needed saving. Why’s that?”

The men were silent. Finally the leader cleared his throat. “This place does things to people. And vehicles. It changes them,”

“How so,” Catra said, her tone demanding.

Again the man was silent. Finally he spoke. “I don’t know why vehicles change, or how. But the people, they hear voices. And see things,”

“We’ve seen things Captain Harris,” One of the men said.

The leader continued. “We never know what’s real, and what isn’t. Not anymore. You look like a young girl to me,” He turned to Catra. “And you look like a half cat, half person,”

The other men nodded. “It’s true,” one said, then pointed. “And that one looks like she has purple hair,”

“Is she with you captain?” The man said.

“Oh yeah totally,” Adora said, nodding. “Now, we need to get to that base you were talking about, the blue one,” 

“Captain, what about our mission though? Are we pulling out?”

“Uhhhh”

“Yes, we are,” Catra said, cutting in. “Just as soon as we get to that base. Now can we go?”

The men slowly looked at each other. One of them put his hands to his face. “Are we…are we really leaving this place? What about the city?”

Catra narrowed her eyes. “what city,”

“City One, the place you’ve been building for the refugees?”

“Oooooohhhhh!” Entrapta said, climbing over Adora and Catra with her hair and settling down between them and the soldiers. “I know that place! I saw them building it a few months back! The machines they were using were amazing!”

“The city’s not important,” Catra said. “C’mon, let’s get to that base,”

The interior of the half-crescent structures was humid and large. It was mostly empty save for a few strange-looking metal contraptions. They looked like fish, but with four long rods poking out horizontally from the top. Entrapa let out a gasp. “I hadn’t checked inside this building yet! These things are so complex!” Her hair carried her around the helicopter as she inspected it, bringing her in close to tap on a part with her wrench.

“Don’t mess with it,” Catra said, watching the soldiers push the metal fish out. It was on wheels, so it wasn’t too much of an effort. Once the vehicle emerged into the open air, then men hurried to climb inside.

“We should go sir,” The leader said, hanging out the opening. “Those drones will be back soon,”

“So those were yours, right,” Catra said, climbing in. “I mean, ours,” The leader nodded. “And so when they change, they attack you?”

Again the leader nodded. “Their operators aren’t even using them sir, they’re moving on their own,”

“Creepy,” Adora said, climbing inside.

Catra just snorted as she plopped down into one of the seats. “Whatever, sounds like your own army has turned on you,”

“It’s this world Lieutenant!” The leader said, looking frantic. “They told us it was stable, that we would be able to survive here! But the very air itself talks!”

“Sounds rough,”

Adora butted in, smiling encouragingly. “What Lieutenant Phillips meant to say is, we’ll get you all home soon enough,” 

The men seemed relieved. One of them sank his head down into his chest. The soldier in the pilot’s seat flipped a few switches, brining the machine to life. The horizontal poles on the top started spinning, speeding faster and faster.

“Of COURSE!” Entrapa said, maneuvering around outside the machine. “What an effective way to gain altitude without propulsion!” 

“Get inside!” Catra yelled, pointing at an empty seat. Entrapta seemed torn between watching the machine and joining. She bit her lip, then sighed and used her hair to crawl in.

The machine took off into the sky, moving quickly and then straightening out. Catra watched from her seat as jungle canopy passed underneath. She glanced at Entrapta, who hummed and kicked her feet against her seat. With a single movement, Catra crossed over to the other side of the machine interior. She grabbed hold of a harness, then knelt down next to the purple-haired girl.

“Hey,” Catra said, murmuring.

“WHAT?” Entrapta yelled, her voice drowned out by the rotating blades.

Catra leaned in, shouting into her ear. “Are there any Horde left?”

Entrapta furrowed her brow, clearly thinking. “I don’t think so? The star-stripes have a _lot_ of sky-ships, and blew up all the Horde’s bases!”

Catra said nothing, simply crossing back over to her seat and sitting heavily. The star-stripes couldn’t have destroyed _all_ the Horde. There had to be someone who knew Catra, and what she was about.

It wasn’t a long trip. The lead soldier pointed out of the open side, singling out the base. Catra recognized its high walls and sharp, spiraled wire atop them. The pilot brought the machine down carefully in the center. The other figures jumped out, spreading out quickly with their weapons pointed. Once the blades stopped spinning, Catra extracted herself as well, followed by Adora and Entrapta.

“Okay!” Adora said, clapping once. “Let’s find that sword!” She started towards the command center, Catra following.

“Sir?” One of the soldiers called after her.

Adora waved over her shoulder. “Just do what you want, we’ll be back,”

Catra waited as the blond princess pried open the door. They both stepped into the computer room, getting hit with the stench of death.

“Oh stars!” Entrapa yelled, recoiling and wrapping her head with her hair. “w-what is that!”

Catra and Adora glanced back at her, pausing in the door frame. “Just some bodies,” Catra said, shrugging. “The smell’s pretty bad, but we’ll move quickly,”

Entrapta looked horrified. “Whaaaa? Why are you two so calm! I-I’ve never actually seen a…a…”

Adora looked puzzled. Catra just rolled her eyes and walked inside. Her vision adjusted instantly to the darkness. She stepped over the bodies of the soldiers, quickly passing into the next hall. The old familiar bars and cells greeted her. Catra didn’t particular like the feeling they gave her. She hurried past them as well.

Adora and Entrapa caught up as Catra entered the next room. It was a wide space lined with gear-lockers and generators. “I’m saying it’s weird!” Entrapta said, gesturing with a strand of hair. “You guys were hardly fazed! You’re supposed to be sad, or distressed!”

“I…” Adora said, looking worried. “I don’t know, I just feel so focused when I…you know, in situations like that,”

“Well you were always focused when you needed to be,” Entrapta said, nodding wisely. She paused, gesturing again. “But never like that! They did something to you!”

It was Adora’s turn to nod wisely. “Oh yeah, they took my memories, and I’m _going_ to get them back,”

“Guys,” Catra said, interrupting. She raised a clawed hand. In the middle of the room sat a man in a chair. He was hunched, twiddling his thumbs as he hummed a low tune. He wore the same clothing Catra and Adora wore, though he had no hat.

“Hello?” Adora said, approaching cautiously. “Have you seen a sword?”

The man stopped humming, but didn’t look up or stop twiddling his thumbs. “I’ve seen the sword.” His voice was as low as his humming. “I saw what the sword did, too,”

“Alright!” Adora said, pumping her fist. “Where is it?”

The man laughed once, unclasping his hands. He rested them on his knees and looked at the trio of girls. “It’s in the city, of course. The root of all the problems with this world. We should have never built that place,”

“Oh!” Entrapta said, lighting up. “We were just talking about the city earlier!” She paused, growing concerned. “If it’s the same city that is, there are plenty of others I suppose,”

The man just shook his head. “You’re one of them, aren’t you. Locals. I recognize you blondie, and you as well cat,” He looked back down at his feet. “Sorry about what we did to your world. We were so excited to find a tunnel, we assumed we’d found salvation. We didn’t think through what we were doing,”

“So wait,” Adora said, narrowing her eyes. “My sword’s in the City One place?”

“A power source unlike any other,” The man said, his gaze far-off. “And one we should have never let certain people get involved with. The whole operation was corrupted from the start, but by the time we tapped into that weapon, things had gotten wildly out of hand,”

“This…” Adora began. “All sounds really bad. I’m getting the sense you’re using my sword for something you shouldn’t be,”

“You girls should go,” The man said, unclasping a holster and revealing a small gun. “I need to be alone to meet my maker,”

“Maker?” Entrapta said, clearly curious. “Are you a robot?”

“C’mon,” Catra said, grabbing Adora and Entrapa by the arms and taking them out of the room. “Let’s leave him be,”

When they got outside, they heard a distant bang from back inside. Adora meant to turn, but Catra kept walking her forward. It wasn’t hard to put two and two together, and she didn’t want to have to comfort Adora or Entrapta if either of them got upset.

Although, there was that thing Entrapta was talking about…how Catra and Adora seemed unfazed by certain things. Perhaps something had been done to her? Besides her memories being erased?

Catra scowled as these dark thoughts swirled in her head. She reached the soldiers with the two girls, coming to a stop.

“So we need to get to the city,” Adora announced. “The one you guys built,”

The figures shared looks. “I thought you said we’d get to go home,” The leader said.

“After the mission,” Catra said, narrowing her eyes at him. She looked up at the sky. “And we should get going,”

Adora turned to her, surprised. “You’re going to help?”

Catra thought long and hard. She wasn’t sure exactly what she should do. But without any leads to any Horde bases, going to the city might reveal prisoners like herself. People she could talk to. Finally, she nodded. “Yeah, sure. For now,” 

“Eeee!” Adora yelled, hugging her tightly. “I knew you’d come around!”

Pushing away from her, Catra broke free and stumbled. “Do not make me regret this,” She said through gritted teeth.

Adora simply grinned.


	4. Much Ado About Nothing

_I was in my late 30’s during the 1980’s. It was an interesting time in America, due to the emergence of Ronald Regan, his Reganenomic fiscal policies, and the rise of the politically powerful evangelical voting bloc. It was also a decade during the height of the Cold War. This was a period where almost anything could be justified if it was in service of fighting Communism. Many of these ideological conflicts took place in South America, and one of the most infamous presidential scandals as well. The country was Nicaragua; the year, 1982._

_What would later be known as the Iran-Contra scandal started when Congress made it illegal for any government entities to fund groups specifically trying to overthrow the Nicaraguan government. They did this because newly-elected President Ronald Regan had been a vocal supporter of the Contras, a rebel group in Nicaragua fighting against the communist government. Despite America’s dedication to fighting the Soviet Union’s global influence, it had also come to light that the Contras sustained their forces through a massive cocaine operation. Because of this, Congress passed the Boland Amendment, preventing any more US money from going to the militant group or the transport of cocaine._

_I will share what happened after in the next chapter. Until then, this is Wolf Blitzer, wishing you a good day and good luck in whatever endeavor you’re trying._

Catra swayed in the back seat of the Humvee as it took a sharp turn. The vehicle made another turn, forcing her towards Entrapta who sat next to her. The purple-haired girl subconsciously raised one of her pony-tails, providing a cushion for Catra as she swayed violently. The cat girl pushed away from the hair, frantically knocking away tiny purple strands from her mouth. “Pthew! Pthppppp,” Catra dug her claws into the seat for support and scowled. “You’re a worse driver than Adora!”

“Hey!” Adora said, turning in the passenger seat to look at her. “I’d never driven before!” She faced forward again and gripped a handle as the vehicle sped up. “With a _little_ more practice I bet I’ll become an expert,” She turned to the soldier driving. “What do you think, let me have a turn at the wheel?”

“Ignore that request,” Catra said, gritting her teeth. The soldier didn’t respond, moving his hands over the wheel as he turned again.

“I’m so excited!” Entrapa said. She had cushioned herself with her hair, the purple strands taking up half of the backseat. “I can’t wait to check out more of the star-stripes tech!” She leaned forward to poke her head next to Adora’s. “They have almost no artificial intelligence, or focused energy capabilities. But they have the most advanced micro-processing technology I have ever seen! And their radar and sensor tech are decades beyond ours!” She leaned back into her hair and put her hands under her chin. “Eeeeeeee it’s so exciting! Why did they pursue some areas of robotics but not others! What are their manufacturing centers like? Why do they have such advanced explosive payload delivery systems, but haven’t even touched the true power of ionized xenon and plasma! I have to know!”

“Well,” Adora said, furrowing her brow. “Why don’t we just ask this guy?” She turned to the soldier driving. “Do you know any of those answers?”

The soldier simply shook his head. “Sorry Captain, I can’t trust myself to answer anything correctly right now,”

Catra peered through the windshield as the jungle road smoothed out. The trees gave way to a massive field that stretched on and on until a distant line of hills. Catra cautiously took her claws from the seat, massaging her wrists as the Humvee slowed. “Why are we stopping,” she said, glancing at the soldier in the rearview mirror.

The soldier nodded ahead, where another Humvee circled around and stopped. The doors of the second vehicle opened, and the rest of the skull soldiers climbed out. Adora unbuckled her seatbelt and hopped out. Catra and Entrapa did the same.

“Sir,” The leader said, walking up to Adora. “How long’s it been since you’ve been to the city?”

“Uhhh,” Adora said, glancing at Catra.

“Awhile,” Catra said, her tone bored. “Now why did we stop,”

The leader gazed over his shoulder at the grassy fields. “We should probably approach on foot. If we time it correctly, we’ll near the city by nightfall, and we can approach in the dark. I think that would be our best bet for survival. The city is protected by private military contractors now, and they don’t care if you’re wearing a uniform, they shoot on sight,”

“What’s a…” Adora began, but Catra gave her a knowing look. A look she hoped convey _don’t reveal how truly ignorant we are._ Adora seemed to understand and smiled encouragingly at the soldiers. “Well, anyway, let’s get going then, shall we?”

The group set out. The soldiers spaced out ahead of the girls, walking in a line through the tall grass with their guns held in front of them. Catra walked with her hands resting behind her head. A stalk of willow hung out of her mouth as she idly chewed it. Entrapa rode atop the robotic sphere named Emily next to her. Adora walked on the other side of Catra. The blond princess watched the blue sky, as if searching for something.

“So,” Catra said, moving the willow stalk to the other side of her mouth. “Entrapta,”

“Hmmm?” Entrapa said, lying across Emily to hang her head upside-down near the cat girl.

“If I was a force captain in the Horde, then what were _you_?”

“Me?” Entrapa said, furrowing her brow as she continued to lay upside down. “Hmmm. Oh! I worked on Horde tech for Hordak! It was a lot of fun!”

“You’ve mentioned the Hordak guy before,” Adora said, taking an exaggerated kick at a blade of grass. “Who is he?”

Entrapta twisted around and pushed herself up on her elbows. “The leader of the Horde of course!”

“And they’re…” Adora said, thinking hard. “Energy vampires, right?”

“Well I don’t know what they are actually,” Entrapta said, shrugging. “Invaders from other worlds? Hordak once told me about other planets,”

“But they’re enemies of the star-stripes,” Catra said, narrowing her eyes. “Who are also from another world,”

Entrapa nodded enthusiastically. “Yeah! Well…no actually. It’s kind of different?”

Catra’s eyes remained narrowed. “Different how,”

“Wellllll, the Horde came from the sky, I think. And the star-stripes came from the portal!” 

Exhaling, Catra came to a stop. Adora did as well, shaking her head. “There is _so_ much we don’t know,” The blonde princess said. “It’s so frustrating!” Adora put her hands on her hips. “Where’s this portal?”

“Hmmm,” Entrapta said, resting a strand of hair under her chin. She shrugged. “Dunno!”

“Well,” Adora said, looking around. “I’ve got another question then. Are we the only people left?”

Entrapa frowned in confusion. “What do you mean?”

“I mean,” Adora said, gesturing around at the unending fields. “Me and Catra have been walking around for two days, and we’ve only seen star-stripes and Moogles,”

“Well everyone who hasn’t been captured and taken to the city is probably hiding,” Entrapta said, nodding wisely.

“Captain!”

Catra, Adora and Entrapta looked ahead. The soldiers had gained some distance, and were waiting for them to catch up. Catra started walking, Adora and Emily following behind her.

“So people are being taken to this city,” Adora said, looking serious. “I think we’re going to need to do several things once we get there, starting with freeing some people,”

Catra smirked. “Don’t get ahead of yourself princess, thinking like that’s going to get you hurt,”

“Oh yeah?” Adora said, raising an eyebrow. “And what are _your_ plans then, once we reach it?”

Catra rested her hands behind her head again, walking with long, lazy steps. “Ooohhh, I don’t know. Ask around a bit, see how I feel,”

“Now _that’s_ a dumb plan. It’s even more vague then mine!”

“It’ll still work,” Catra said, a smug smile on her face.

Adora rolled her eyes. “Oh you are _so_ insufferable sometimes,”

For some reason, this comment made Catra angry, as if it touched on something buried deep. She turned away as her mood soured. “Hurray!” Entrapta said, clapping once. “You two are starting to act like you used to!”

This comment didn’t improve Catra’s mood. When she glanced at Adora from the corner of her eye, the princess didn’t seem particularly thrilled either. “Well,” Adora began pausing.

“Whatever,” Catra said. She took out the stalk of willow from her mouth and tossed it, taking the lead.

The trio walked in silence for a while. The soldiers continued ahead of them, sometimes pausing to signal to each other. Suddenly one of them went down. The others quickly dropped as well, with the leader spinning around. He made frantic motions with his hands for the girls to get low.

“Stars!” Adora said, grabbing hold of Catra and tackling her to the ground. “Entrapta! Hide yourself and Emily!”

“Aaahhhh!” Entrapa said, waving her hands. “Emily, hide momma!” The sphere reacted, opening up into two half-circles and lowering itself and Entrapta into the grass.

Catra snarled, pushing away from Adora as the princess held on tightly. “Get OFF ME!” She stopped as a shadow passed overhead. Another shadow followed, and then another. Adora continued to hold her waist, her eyes peering above the tall blades of grass. Catra raised her head as much as she dared, despite Adora clinging to her.

Three silver objects passed by high in the sky. They gained some distance, circled once, then continued on. When they were out of sight, Adora finally let go of Catra. The former Force Commander pushed her aside as she slowly stood.

The soldiers doubled back to the girls, keeping low in the grass. When the leader reached them, he dropped to one knee. The other soldiers did the same, keeping their guns pointed above the stalks.

“What the stars was that,” Catra said. “More metal monsters?”

The leader shook his head. “No Lieutenant, the PMC drones haven’t changed for some reason, only the military ones,”

“And,” Adora began, pointing at the sky. “Those were…different?”

“Yes Captain, the city security forces have their own drones, jets and ground vehicles,”

Entrapta looked fascinated as Emily bore her up from the grass. “And you’re saying they DON’T change into biological hybrids?? That’s incredible! How are they different??”

The leader’s expression was grim. “Your guess is as good as mine purple girl. But if they’re doing sweeps, we need to find cover now and wait until cloudy weather or nightfall,”

Adora glanced over at Catra. It was clear she wanted to ask her something, but things were still slightly awkward from Entrapta’s past comment. “Fine,” Catra said, pretending she didn’t notice Adora’s gaze. “We’ll find cover then,”

The group started off again, ducking low anytime they thought they saw something in the sky. No drones appeared, but the tension everyone felt was palpable. They reached the hills, finding tangled trees growing among the narrow dips between the rises. There were also the occasional stone ruin.

The leader found a larger ruin and pointed the group towards it. “There sir,” He said, nodding at Adora. “That should be good for us,”

“Excellent,” Adora said, nodding. She seemed to take to the leadership role, which irked Catra for a reason she couldn’t identify. “How long do you think we’ll have to wait?”

The soldier craned his neck to the sky. “The weather here is impossible to predict, but I’m guessing six hours until nightfall. It wouldn’t hurt to nap in shifts,”

“Do what you have to do,” Adora said, heading for the ruin. With an unimpressed snort Catra followed, with Entrapta and her robot Emily bringing up the rear.

Catra made her way to a grassy clearing among the ruins. Broken walls rose up on one side, and a dirt slope led down to a still pond on the other. She found a patch of grass that wasn’t too rough, and sat down to begin stretching.

“Heya,” Adora said, popping up her head behind her.

“GAH!” Catra yelled, her hair standing on end. “Don’t _do_ that!”

“Sorry!” Adora said, grinning innocently. She came around in front of the cat girl. “What’re you doing?”

Catra continued to stretch on the ground, bending sideways to reach for her extended leg. “I’m going to practice some,”

“Practice…?” Adora said, looking confused.

“You said we’re warriors right,” Catra said, making her tone uninterested. “And it sounds like we’re going to have to fight later. So,” She jumped up, swinging her arms lazily. “Practice,”

Adora’s face lit up. “Oh! Let me help!”

Catra scowled. “How,”

“Well,” Adora said, bending side to side as she stretched. “Practicing is better when you have someone to do it with right? I don’t need memory to know that,”

Tilting her head, Catra studied the princess. Adora jogged in place, looking ready and willing. “Fine,” Catra send, bending her knees. “Let’s start right now,” She launched herself at Adora. The princess made a noise of surprise, leaping out of the way at the last moment. Catra sailed past her and landed in the grass on all fours. She turned quickly, then charged again.

Adora was ready this time. She put up two fists, dodging a swipe from Catra, then ducking out of the way of the second claw. Adora jabbed a few times, then swung hard, narrowly missing Catra as the force commander spun away low to the ground.

“Wheeeeeee!” Entrapa yelled, clapping from her perch on Emily. “Go Catra!”

“Hey!” Adora said, looking offended. A moment later she ducked as Catra pounced.

Landing, the cat girl slowly straightened. She turned to Adora, cracking her neck. “How you feeling princess?” She said, a smug smile on her face.

“Oh we haven’t even started yet,” Adora said, grinning. Grass flew as her feet shifted. She sprinted full speed at Catra, lashing out with a fist and then trying to bring up a knee. Catra bent backwards, missing the fist, then put her hands down and did a backwards cartwheel to avoid the knee. She bent down and lashed out with both claws.

Adora skipped backwards, coming to a halt and throwing out a roundhouse kick as Catra tried to close the distance. The force commander was forced to stop and deflect the kick with her arm, then deflect another kick with her other arm. Adora was growing more forceful with her attacks, putting Catra on the defensive.

After three more punches from Adora, which Catra all dodged, she did several backflips to gain distance from the princess. Breathing heavily, she narrowed her eyes as she studied Adora. The princess stood where she was, also breathing heavily, fists at the ready. “Had enough yet?” Adora called.

“Not even close!” Catra yelled, sprinting towards her on all fours. She ducked out of the way of Adora at the last moment, standing up straight and finding herself back to back with the princess. She tried to spin, but Adora shifted as well, remaining pressed against her. Both girls turned and lashed out at each other, catching each other’s fists. Catra tried to bring up her claw, but Adora snagged her arm through her elbow, locking her into place.

Catra could feel Adora’s ragged breath as the two girls stood entangled, their noses almost touching. Both of them stared intently at each other, waiting for the other to move. Finally Catra rolled her eyes and let her arms go limp in Adora’s hold. The princess slowly did the same, and together they extracted themselves.

“Whoooooooo!” Entrapta yelled, clapping. “That was so fun to watch!”

Adora held Catra’s gaze, her expression unreadable. “Whatever,” Catra said, rolling her eyes and turning away. “I would have won eventually,”

“Is that why you stopped?” Adora said, smiling and crossing her arms.

Catra was about to snap back at her. Her stomach growled, prompting her to hug it. Adora hugged her own stomach. “Oh yeah…I’m starving,”

“Hmmm yes biological life forms do need food,” Entrapta said, rubbing at a smudge on Emily.

“I’m going to go ask the soldiers if they have anything,” Catra said. She kicked at a clod of dirt as she passed Adora.

She found the leader talking in a low voice with one of his companions. They stopped talking as she neared. “Lieutenant,” The skull soldier said, nodding.

“We’re hungry,” Catra said. “You got any food?”

He nodded, then motioned at the soldier with him. The second soldier bent down and rummaged around in a pack. He produced two glossy, wrapped packages, one in each hand. “Is the purple-hair girl eating?” Catra nodded, taking both packages in her hands. She then took the third the soldier offered, balancing them all in her arms. “Sir,” The leader said. “Permission to speak freely?”

“I don’t care,” Catra said, concentrating on keeping the packages straight. “How do you eat these?”

“Are you really Lieutenant Phillips?” The man said, his expression intense. “Or someone wearing his uniform?”

Catra snorted. “Took you guys long enough,” The soldier reached for his gun, but Catra was faster. She threw the three packages at the kneeling soldier, then lashed out with a claw at the leader. She caught his gun as he brought it up, tearing it from his grasp. She dangled it by the trigger-guard in front of him and tilted her head. “What’s the matter soldier, you seem surprised,”

The leader narrowed his eyes at her, the skull painted on his face shifting slightly. “What did you do to the captain and lieutenant,”

“ _I_ didn’t do anything,” Catra said. She turned her finger, letting the gun spin awkwardly. “You dumb star-stripes turned on each other,” She stopped her finger, bringing the gun neatly into her grasp. “So, what’s your plan now? I’ve got a lot of excess anger I’d like to work out,”

The two soldiers shared a look. The leader took a deep breath. “Your one of the natives then,”

“They all fucking speak English,” The second soldier said, shaking his head. “This place is hell,”

“Who knows,” Catra said, shrugging. “Thanks to you, I don’t have any memory of who I am,” She leaned in close to the lead soldier, her finger wavering above the trigger. “That makes me even more angry, now that I think about it,”

The lead soldier’s expression was somber. “So why are we headed to the city then,”

Catra exhaled, as if it was troublesome to answer. “Oooohhh, I don’t know soldier boy, why do you think?”

Neither soldier answered. “We just wanted to go home,” The leader said, his gaze hardening.

“Then go,” Catra said dismissively. She bent down and picked up the packages she’d thrown, then balanced them in the crook of one arm while she put the gun to her chin thoughtfully. “Although, I really can’t have much sympathy for invaders, now can I?” She turned and walked away. “Hopefully those metal monsters will get you, because if you try anything against _me_ , it’ll be much worse,”

The soldiers said nothing as they watched her go. Catra realized she probably should have asked which direction the city was, because once the men left, she really had no idea. Catra decided not to worry about it, returning to the part of the ruins where Adora and Entrapta were.

Adora was climbing a tree. She had made it to the far end of a branch and was reaching for an apple. “Almost….got it…” Adora lost her grip and fell. “Eek!” She landed in a heap at the base of the tree. “Ow,” She said, rubbing her head. Her expression changed as spotted Catra. “Oh! You found something!”

Catra unceremoniously tossed her a box, then tossed the second one to Entrapta. She plopped down on the grass and used a single claw to open the container. Inside were several more wrapped items. Catra took one out and inspected it in the sunlight. “I don’t actually know if it’s food,”

Adora tore open her box and reached inside. She took out a tiny object wrapped in silver, then popped it open. “It’s…I don’t know what this is,” She took a bite, chewing. “It’s not the _best_ I’ve ever had, but then again, I don’t remember much of anything else,”

Catra made a face as she regarded the food she’d unwrapped. She took a cautious nibble, then took another bite. “Oh I don’t like this,” She said. Catra continued eating despite the taste. She knew if the soldier left they’d take all the food with them. “By the way, I told the star-stripes the truth,”

“What??” Adora said, her eyes going wide. She glanced down at the name stitched on her uniform. “Are they mad?”

Shrugging, Catra unwrapped another food item. “Who knows. I took one of their guns, so they’re welcome to try something. It’ll be the last thing they ever do,”

“Oh,” Adora said, looking worried.

Entrapta gagged, holding up one of the wrappers. “This is _baaaadddddd_. Emily, go find food for momma,”

The sphere beeped twice, then retracted its legs and rolled away. Catra tossed the packaging to the side and laid down in the grass. She stared up at the clouds as they passed overhead.

“Sooo,” Adora said. “If the soldiers leave, who’s going to take us to the city?”

“Once nightfall hits, we’ll start walking,” Catra said, still staring into the sky. “Cities have lights right? We’ll see it, trust me,” She craned her neck, looking over to where Entrapta sat. “Hey, I’ve got a question about the Horde,”

Entrapta beamed. “Fire away!” 

“What kind of people were in it?” Catra could see the purple-haired girl was confused. “Like you, where do you come from? Why were you in the Horde?”

“Hmmm,” Entrapa said, raising herself up on her hair, then wrapping a strand underneath herself to form a chair. “Well, I got left by Adora and her friends in the Fright Zone, so that’s how I joined!”

Adora looked confused. “What? That doesn’t sound right,”

“Well you did,” Entrapta said, shrugging.

“What about me,” Catra said, her tone forceful.

Entrapta frowned. “Ummmm, I think you were raised there? There’s all sorts of people in the Fright Zone. Old ones, young ones, even a few princesses like me!”

“ _You’re_ a princess too??” Catra said, her tone disgusted.

“Yeah!” Adora said, pumping her fist in the air. “Princess pals!”

Entrapta curled a length of her hair around her finger. “Well I mean it doesn’t mean much, right? What with the Horde being goneeee, and the other princesses being somewhere, I don’t know, I forget about it all the time!”

Catra sat up and buried her face in her hands. “Alright, here’s what we’re going to do. I’m going to nap until nightfall. You guys can do whatever,” She stood and walked towards the walls of the ruin. Running up to a rock, she used it as a springboard and jumped up to one of the stone arches. Perching atop it, she scanned the ruins.

The soldiers were nowhere to be seen. The hills stretched on and on. Satisfied, Catra slowly let herself back down to the ground. She found a spot of shade and closed her eyes. After a while, she opened them.

There were no bird sounds. Catra remembered birds, and knew they should be present. In fact, everything was _extremely_ quiet. It unnerved her. She slowly sat up. After a beat, she got up and walked into the grassy clearing.

Entrapta napped against Emily. The spherical robot had its legs wrapped around her, forming a small bed. Adora lay in the shade from the ruined walls, staring up into the sky with her hands behind her head. She shifted as Catra approached. “Hey,” Catra didn’t say anything, simply sitting down heavily next to her. “Weren’t you going to nap-”

“There’s no birds,” Catra said, as if that explained everything.

“Oh,” Adora said, sitting up on her elbows to look at Catra.

The force commander glanced away, trying to act nonchalant. “I guess I figured if I found you, you’d talk so much it’d put me to sleep,”

“Haha,” Adora said, her voice tinged with sarcasm. She sat up fully, drawing her legs underneath her. Neither girl spoke, the silence stretching. Finally Adora exhaled. “Can I say something?”

Catra inspected her tail in her hand, picking at a hair. “I’m not going to stop you,”

Adora was silent, finally drawing Catra’s gaze. The princess returned it. “If we were enemies before when we had our memories, is it really so bad that we don’t have them now? We’re not fighting right now, right? It’s almost like we’re working together, and that’s better, right?”

“Only until I find answers,” Catra said, letting go of her tail. “And why are you asking me? I don’t know anything!” Her angry tone drew a sleepy mumble from Entrapta, who shifted against Emily.

Adora nodded, her expression sad and distant. “I just, I know we don’t know much. But we do know there are invaders, and people trapped in a city, and my sword,” Adora paused. “Would it be so bad to be heroes and save them?”

“I’m not a hero!” Catra said, her angry tone growing. She couldn’t explain why she was angry, only that it was coursing through her. “I’m not a princess like you! Or even like Entrapta! I’m a Horde force commander! Before the star-stripes, I was your mortal enemy!”

“I don’t believe that!” Adora said, her tone insistent. “Deep down I know that can’t be true!”

“Well I do!” Catra yelled back. “Why are you so determined to try and make us friends!”

“Because!” Adora said, her tone raising. She seemed to be growing distressed. “When I’m with you, I feel like a small part of what’s missing has been returned! You’re a part of who I am! Don’t you feel the same?” Adora clenched her fists at her sides as she yelled as loud as she could. “Is it really so bad to start over?? Don’t these feelings mean anything to you!”

“Start over?! I would be the only one starting over! I’ve always been like the star-stripes! You’re a warrior princess with a sword who fights me! You probably do hero stuff all the time! So why do _I_ have to change!” Catra yelled out in frustration, gesturing with both hands. “ _Yes_ I feel things when I’m around you, but it’s anger and and…something else! I don’t know what else there is besides anger!” She turned to storm away. Her eyes went wide as she felt Adora run into her and hug her tightly.

“Please don’t walk away,” Adora said, shutting her eyes. “We’ve both lost so much,” She opened them and stared into Catra’s shocked expression. “Let’s just talk about this!”

Catra narrowed her eyes. “You’re scared,” She said, her tone dripping with condescension.

“Are you _not_?”

Pushing away from her, Catra stalked towards the arches. “The only thing I’m scared of is finding out I was insignificant. Now _that_ I know,”

“Where are you going?” Adora called after her.

“To clear my head,”

Without another word, Catra passed underneath the arches. She was so very, _very_ tired of feeling things. And who the hell was she supposed to be? These thoughts plagued her she walked, the sun lowering behind her. 


	5. Annoying Creatures and a World of Hurt

_Wolf Blitzer again, typing this up as I recline in my bathtub and argue on Twitter about soybean subsidies. Allow me to take this opportunity to continue with our story and fill you in on the second half of the Iran Contra scandal. Having been denied the ability to fund the Contras, President Ronald Regan attempted to find ways of going around the law to continue funneling money to the rebel group. He told his advisers and staff to find any means necessary to continue supporting the Contra’s against the communist Nicaraguan government._

_The opportunity he was looking for came in 1985. An Iranian-backed terrorists group kidnapped seven Americans in Lebanon, demanding a ransom for their release. Publicly, President Regan refused to negotiate with the terrorists. In private however, plans were already in motion to send close to thirty-two million dollars in the form of weapons for the American’s release._

_In what can only be called a mindboggling twist, over half of the secret ransom amount was earmarked for an even more secret exchange. Regan’s advisers managed to send almost 18 million dollars to the Contras in Nicaragua, in addition to the weapons the Iranian terrorist group demanded. A Lebanese newspaper eventually reported on the weapons deal, and the rest of the operation was soon uncovered. The fallout continues to this day._

Catra stuck her hands in the pockets of her uniform as she climbed the slope of a hill. Her tail swished back and forth, her thoughts many and scattered. She dug her feet into the earth, feeling the dirt against her claws.

The top of the hill revealed a panoramic view of the surrounding country. Catra paused as she reached it, inhaling deeply through her nose. She gazed around, willing her mind to calm. Fading sunlight bathed the hills in orange and shadow.

Catra was irritated. Things were moving quickly around her, and she didn’t feel grounded enough to face them. She knew she was capable, Catra could feel it in her bones. But things weren’t right, and she didn’t know how to make them right.

“I want to be alone,” She said, kicking at a clod of grass. “To figure things out…but…” She put her fists to her head. “GRRRRR, this is so stupid! How _dare_ they rob my past from me! That was _mine_!” She kicked at another clump of grass. “Now I’m traveling with my enemy, and there’s NOTHING that’s familiar, but there’s also…” She bit her lip, her voice lowering. “other feelings that do seem familiar…when I’m with her…” Her biting grew fierce as she grew angry, drawing blood. She could taste it as she wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. “Whatever, this is ridiculous,”

“Did _someone_ say SWIFT-WINDDDDDDDD??????”

Catra looked up in alarm as a shape flew overhead. It wheeled about in the air, flapping its wings fiercely as it angled down. The shape revealed itself to be a winged horse with a horn protruding from its head. It had white fur with rainbow wings. The unicorn landed, stomping triumphantly on the earth.

“What the pit!” Catra yelled, extending her claws. She remembered her gun and drew it with a single motion, aiming for the unicorn’s head.

“That’s no way to greet your savior!” The unicorn said, turning his head away, as if offended. He turned back with a look of excitement. “After all, I came all this way after hearing your cries for help!”

“I was not crying for help,” Catra said, gritting her teeth. “Now as far as I can tell, this weapon fires projectiles faster than you can blink, so get flying or I’ll start firing…”

“Ha!” the unicorn said, raising his head proudly. “Swift-Wind doesn’t run away from those in need!” He grinned confidently at Catra. The grin faded as the unicorn squinted. “Waittttt a minute, don’t I know you?”

Catra turned her head slightly as she kept her eye on the creature. “Do you..?”

Swift-Wind nodded, then stomped a hoof on the ground. “I do! I’ve seen you before!” He put his hoof to his chin. “But where, hmmmmm,”

“Oh you are easily as annoying as Adora,” Catra said, palming her face.

“Did you say ADORA??” Swift-Wind yelled. He reared up and neighed, his horn glowing. “Do you know her???”

Catra just stared at the horse, unimpressed. “Yes, unfortunately I do. She is causing me all sorts problems,”

“Adora is my friend and companion!” Swift-Wind said, trotting in a happy circle. He pointed his horn at Catra. “Take me to her, we must be reunited!”

“Uh huh,” Catra said, crossing her arms. “Helping one annoying person meet another? Now why would I want to do that?”

Swift-Wind stroke a pose. “Because I’m here to help!”

“Oh yeah?” Catra said, leaning in close as she pointed at the unicorn. “How _exactly_ did you find me?”

“Hmm,” Swift-Wind said, tilting his head. “Well, I was flying around avoiding metal monsters, and heard your cries on the wind! And now I’m here!”

Catra narrowed her eyes. “I don’t believe that,”

“Well it’s trueeee!” Swift-Wind declared, flapping his wings. Catra snorted and turned to leave. The unicorn poked his head over her shoulder. “You can’t hide from the truthhhh!”

“Gah!” Catra yelled, pushing his face away. “You and Adora are perfect for each other! And that’s an insult!”

Swift-Wind trotted ahead of her as she descended the hill. “But I shall take it as a compliment! Are we going to Adora?”

“I was thinking of finding a pond I could drown you in,”

“Ha!” Swift-Wind said, continuing to trot ahead of her. “Majestic steeds such as I are undaunted by the perils of large bodies of water! Bring it on I say!”

Catra stormed down the hill, her head hunched and her fists balled at her sides. “Of course the annoying princess has an annoying horse,”

“I’m her valued ally in the protection of Etheria! Ours’ is a noble cause, one only I and She-Ra can do!”

“Yeah and a fine job you did,” Catra said, gesturing around. “Where the stars were you when the star-stripes arrived?”

Swift-Wind looked puzzled. “The who?”

“The star-stripes!” Catra mimicked the curve of a drone. “They have sky ships? Pillow soldiers with deadly weapons?” Swift-Wind waited, an expectant expression on his face. Catra sighed. “The ones who are destroying everything?”

“FIENDS!” Swift-Wind yelled, rearing up. “I have witnessed their destruction firsthand! Worse than the Horde I say, for they bathe the land in fire!”

Catra rolled her eyes. “Yeah them. So where were you and _She-Ra_?”

Swift-Wind’s expression grew pained. It was a strange look for a unicorn. He lowered his head, as well as his voice. “I am ashamed to say we were separated during the great battle. I have looked for her since, but in that time the dastardly invaders have spread their poison!” He raised his head, staring intently at Catra. “I cannot seem to find any apples! They took them all!”

“Great battle…” Catra repeated. “What happened, you get your butts absolutely handed to you?”

“Don’t you remember?” Swift-Wind said, clearly confused. “You were there weren’t you? I’m almost certain that’s where I remember you from!”

Catra felt something stir deep inside her. Had she been there? “You mean I was leading the Horde,”

Swift-Wind galloped a circle around the former force captain. “Who knows! Not me! I was only concerned with the heroic defense of Bright Moon!”

“So what happened,” Catra said, reaching the bottom of the hill. “Don’t tell me we both lost to the star-stripes,”

“Lost?” Swift-Wind said, putting a wing to his chin. “I wouldn’t say lost. You can’t lose if your enemy just pours fire from the sky!”

“That’s actually the exact definition of losing,” Catra said, exhaling in irritation. “So we just sat around on the ground while the star-stripes pulverized us from the air?”

Swift-Horn jabbed at an invisible enemy with his horn. “They would have if it weren’t for me! I fought off many a metal monster that day, allowing princesses and Horde alike to escape! The metal monsters thought they could fly faster than me, and they were right! But I still got them!”

“Catra!” A voice called. The short-furred girl looked up to see Adora appearing from around a ruined stone wall. Her eyes went wide as she saw Swift-Wind. “Oh my stars! Horsey!”

The unicorn whinnied happily as he reared up. “ADORA!”

The princess paused, clearly confused. “Horses talk?”

“Adora it’s me!” Swift-Wind declared, galloping towards her. “Your trusty battle steed!”

Adora glanced at Catra, still clearly confused. “Uhh, Catra, what’s going on?”

Catra simply shrugged, pretending to be interested in a nearby stone. “Oh I don’t know. He says he knows you, but I think he’s a star-stripe spy and we should drown him,”

“And I told you that will never work!” Swift-Wind said, striking another pose.

“Whoa,” Adora said, slowly approaching. She gently raised her hand, which Swift-Wind nuzzled with his nose. Adora laughed. “Aww, he likes me!”

The unicorn snorted, adjusting his shimmering mane. “Adora, how can you possibly not remember me? The greatest steed in all the land!”

Adora shrugged. “Sorry, I lost my memory thanks to the star-stripes,”

“Fiends,” Swift-Wind said, his voice low and ominous. “I will make them pay dearly,”

Adora pet the side of his head, running her other hand through his mane. “Sooo, you’re my battle-steed?”

“That’s right! I am She-Ra’s greatest helper! Probably even moreso than the sword, I’ve heard people say that after all!” He shot an excited look at Catra. “Lots of people!”

Catra rolled her eyes. “Oh yeah of course they do. Adora, tell this animal to leave,”

“What??” Adora said, hugging the unicorn’s neck with a hurt expression. “No! He’s so adorable!” Swift-Wind also adopted a hurt expression. Together, both Adora and the unicorn looked pleadingly at Catra while their lips quivered.

“No!” Catra said. “Why in ETHERIA would I agree to travel with you two!”

Adora let go of Swift-Wind’s neck and patted his back. “He can take us to the city!”

“That’s right!” Swift-Wind said, striking a pose. He glanced at Adora. “What’s a city again?”

Catra made a noise of frustration, putting her fists to her forehead. “There’s no way that animal can carry you, me and Entrapta,”

“That is correct!” Swift-Wind said. “I can carry two of you, but three will be uncomfortable for all of us!”

“That’s fine,” Adora said, nodding wisely. “Entrapta can just ride below us on Emily,”

“ _Emily…_?” Swift-Wind said. “Is she perhaps another horse? She sounds very pretty!”

Catra shook her head. “And you really think your magic unicorn is going to get us past their sky ships? You’ve lost your mind,”

“He can!” Adora said, her face insistent. “Can’t you horsey!”

The Unicorn nodded. “Swift-Wind, and yes, I can carry you and the girl who needs help,”

“I don’t need help!” Catra yelled. She stomped her foot. “Fine! We’ll take your froggin’ animal, but make sure it stays quiet!”

“Yes!” Adora said, hugging Swift-Wind’s neck again. “I’ve got a horse now!” 

Swift-Wind whinnied happily. “And I have been reunited with Adora! Get your sword and let us ride for this city thing, which I am still unclear about!”

“Oh,” Adora said, her face falling. “I uh…actually don’t have the sword,”

“Don’t have the sword,” Swift-Wind repeated, eyeing her. “Surely you jest. Is it jest day? You have to tell me if it’s jest day, it’s in the rules,”

Adora’s expression grew more miserable. “No, it’s not jest day, the star-stripes took it,”

“oh no,” Swift-Wind said, his voice quiet. “Who knows what they could do with such a weapon! It would be like capturing me! An absolute catastrophe!”

Catra inspected her nails. “Yeah well, apparently they’ve been doing quite a lot with it,”

“Then we must go get it immediately!” Swift-Wind declared, stomping on the ground in anticipation. “Go Adora! Get your friend and the beautiful horse Emily! We must head out at once!”

Adora glanced up at the horizon. The sun was almost gone, taking the last of the sunlight with it. “Alright,” She said, nodding. “I’ll go get Entrapta,”

The purple-haired girl woke with a start, sitting straight up. “What’s going on!” Adora and Swift-Wind gazed down at her, both with serious expressions.

“We have to go,” Adora said. Swift-Wind nodded.

“That’s,” Entrapta said, pointing at the unicorn. “An animal,”

“Correct!” Swift-Wind said, raising his head proudly. “And the best kind at that!”

Entrapta rubbed her head. “Oh yeahhhh, I think I remember you,”

“And I possibly remember you!” Swift-Wind paused, gazing at Emily. The spherical robot stared back with its one triangular eye. “Ohhh?” The unicorn said. “And this must be Emily! You are quite possibly the shiniest steed I have ever met!” Emily beeped in response. Swift-Wind blushed, dismissing the beep with a hoof. “Oh stop it, _you’re_ breathtaking,”

“Alright!” Adora said, clapping once. “We should get started on our journey. Entrapta, Catra and I are taking Swift-Wind. Can you ride on Emily?”

Entrapta nodded, rapping a knuckle against the robot’s surface. “Oh yeah, we’ll easily be able to keep up,”

“Ho ho ho!” Swift-Wind said, switching through different poses in front of Emily. “You will have an excellent view of my form as I fly through the sky! And I will have a lovely view of your gait from afar!” Emily beeped again, causing Swift-Wind to whinny. “Oh, I shall win your heart yet! Just watch!” 

“I cannot listen to a minute more of this,” Catra said, scowling. “Let’s go already,”

Adora approached Swift-Wind, running her hand along his side. She patted him on the back, then climbed up. Once settled, she extended her hand down to Catra. The force captain glanced away, not wanting to accept. Without looking at her, Catra finally took her hand and allowed herself to be pulled up.

“And away we go!” Swift-Wind yelled, flapping his wings as he galloped.

Catra was forced to hold tightly to Adora as the unicorn took off into the air. He continued to pump his wings. Wind blew away Adora’s cap and sent her blond hair trailing behind her. Catra continued to hold on, unwilling to look down, or anywhere really except the back of Adora’s neck.

“WOO-HOOOOO!” Adora yelled, pumping a fist in the air. She let out a laugh, putting her hand to Catra’s arms clasped around her stomach. “Catra isn’t this amazing!”

Catra said nothing, her face turning red. There was something about Adora’s laugh that made her feel…not terrible. She squeezed her eyes tightly as Swift-Wind redoubled his flapping.

The pair rode the unicorn over an unending series of hills. Below, Emily rolled along the crests like a pebble in a rushing river. Catra finally opened her eyes and focused on Adora’s back. The princess continued to hold Catra’s clasped arms, sometimes gripping it whenever Swift-Wind dove through the air.

A glow drew the force captain’s gaze. The soft light hung over the horizon, much like a small sun. As they continued flying, the glow revealed itself to be an expansive city. Buildings rose up like never-ending towers, covered in impossibly bright lights. Catra felt Adora inhale in awe.

A distant noise started up. One Catra found familiar. It was the steady loud cracks of the star-stripe guns. They grew louder as Swift-Wind flew, echoing off the hills below. Adora pointed as the unicorn held out his wings and drifted. “Look!” Catra looked. The hills were finally ending. Ahead was the city. Between the two, flashes lit up the ground. “Someone’s in trouble!” Adora shouted over the wind. She patted Swift-Wind’s neck, pointing him towards the flashes.

The unicorn didn’t need to be told twice. Folding his wings together, Swift-Wind plummeted through the air. Catra gripped Adora until she felt her arms were going to pop out. Swift-Wind unfurled his wings at the last moment, sailing right above the ground. Ahead of them, the flashes continued. Adora pointed one out and Swift-Wind shifted. He caught a black figure with his horn, knocking them to the ground. Another figure appeared, and then another. Swift-Wind blew across the ground, bowling into each one that came into view.

It didn’t take long for the figures to turn on them. Bullets whizzed by, forcing Catra to press herself closer to Adora. She worked her gun from her holster, aiming carefully. The force captain timed herself in her head, then squeezed the trigger as they soared past a figure.

It was a clean hit, kicking the figure back. Adrenaline coursed through Catra as she continued placing shots. Her weapon cracked loudly, jumping in her grip and deafening her. Finally it clicked, announcing itself empty. Catra rebolstered it and held onto Adora with all her might.

Emily came roaring over a hill, lasers flashing wildly. Entrapta rode atop her, waving her wrench like a sword. Figures were felled left and right as the robot rolled past them. Entrapta let out a battle cry.

When the flashes were finally silenced, Swift-Wind touched down on the ground. He trotted to a stop, adjusting his wings as he did. Catra slid off first, landing on the ground and surveying the scene.

The figures with weapons were now on the ground. There were other figures however. Some were already dead, while others huddled in groups near the first couple of hills. “What in Etheria?” Adora said, sliding off Swift-Wind.

Without speaking, Catra started forward. The figures flinched as she neared, causing the force captain to pause. “Entrapta!” She yelled. “Give me some light over here!”

Flashlight beams poured forth from Emily, illuminating the surrounding country. The huddled figures were in fact people. There were dressed in clothes Catra didn’t recognize. They stared at her uniform in fear, some falling to the ground and pleading with their hands clasped. Catra didn’t recognize the language they were speaking.

“I don’t understand,” Adora said, coming up beside Catra. “Who are they? Star-stripes?”

“They are turning against each other,” Catra said, narrowing her eyes. “So maybe this is just another one of their little spats,”

Adora furrowed her brow, clearly worried. “No, look,” She slowly pointed, singling out children in the beams of Emily’s lights. “Those aren’t soldiers. In fact, none of them look like soldiers,”

“Princess Adora!” A figure yelled. “Princess Adora!” A woman wearing a layered sash and ragged dress jogged up. She hurried a child with her, stopping to catch her breath. “Princess Adora, thank the stars!”

“Who are you,” Catra said, eyeing her suspiciously.

“I am Auga, this is my daughter Coralis, we’re from the kingdom of Salineas! Please, you have to help us!”

Adora held up her palms. “Whoa whoa whoa, I’d love to help, but first you have to tell me what’s going on,” She looked around. “Who are all these people? Why were you being attacked?”

“We escaped from City One! They hunt anyone who makes it past the walls!”

“Prisoners,” Adora said, shaking her head.

The woman grew distressed. “Slaves! We’re slaves in there! All of us except the grays!

“And you’re all from,” Adora paused, trying to remember the name. “Salineas?”

“No,” The woman said, glancing down. “Only me and Coralis. These others have been brought from the grays’ world. I worked with them in one of the labor camps, and picked up enough of their language to escape when they did,”

Catra processed this information, her tail curling behind her. “They’ve got slaves on their world,” She said, her voice low. “So why capture people here too?”

“They need all of us,” Auga said, her voice mournful. “Many die in the camps, and there are always new slaves to replace them. The grays build and build and build, never stopping. They keep expanding the walls!”

They were interrupted by blinding light. A sound started up, kicking up the dirt around them with loud bangs. “It’s an attack!” Catra yelled, glancing at the sky.

An object slowly circled above, searching the ground with flood lights. Flashes emitted from the side, heralding soldiers and their guns.

“Swift-Wind!” Adora yelled, pointing at the craft.

“I’m on it!” The unicorn yelled, flapping his wings. He took off into the air, flying straight for the lights.

Adora ran towards Auga and Coralis, leaping to cover them with her body. The princess caught several bullets as she did, stumbling and collapsing.

“NOOOOOOO!” Catra screamed. Yells started up as she ran for Adora. Catra glanced over her shoulder, spotting ropes trailing on the ground leading up to the craft. Figures slid down them, landing and raising guns.

Catra changed directions with one fluid motion. She sprinted on all fours towards the figures, keeping low to the ground. One of them aimed at her as she neared, but Catra pounced. She caught him in the chest, knocking the figure to the ground. Catra slashed at his throat once, twice, then left him to assault the next figure.

Each one went down as Catra flashed by them, her claws trailing blood in the beams of the flood lights. Anger coursed through her, fueling her arms as she tore into flesh and armor with all her might. Above her, the craft exploded in a brilliant flash of fire. Catra barreled into the last figure. She stood over him as flaming debris fell to the ground behind her. Catra raised her claw and brought it down once, ending the figure’s movements. She slowly turned.

The ground shook as the main part of the craft hit a distant hill. It exploded again, lighting up the countryside with trialing embers. Catra started running towards Adora. Her feet moved faster and faster as she closed the distance. Auga and Coralis knelt next to the princess, as did Entrapta.

“Catra!” Entrapa said, her voice worried. “Adora’s hurt!”

“Out of my way!” Catra yelled, sliding down next to Adora. Her hands hovered over her, frantic. She found the wounds. They were near Adora’s stomach. The princess breathed in shallow gasps. Her hand reached up, finding Catra’s face. “Did…we get them?”

“Shhhhh,” Catra said, tearing away her own uniform. “You’re going to be okay,” Her claws shredded it into strips, then she took a finger and opened Adora’s uniform with one slice. Catra started tying the strips over Adora’s wound, staunching the blood flow and eliciting a gasp of pain from the princess. 

Swift-Wind landed nearby, trotting over. His face grew distressed as he saw the scene. “Adora!”

Catra finished wrapping her wound, then inspected her work. She gingerly slipped her hands underneath Adora, then lifted her from the ground. Holding her in her arms, Catra turned towards the city.

“What are we going to do!” Entrapta yelled, gripping her hair.

Catra said nothing. Holding Adora close, she began walking towards the city. The buildings and walls beckoned, their lights twinkling ominously.

Behind her, Catra heard the others follow.


	6. This City's Going to Make You a Star

_I’d like to go back a bit to the year 1932. It was in this year that the U.S Public Health Service partnered with a group called the Tuskegee Institute to begin experimenting on cures for syphilis. They went about this by gathering 600 black men and promising them a six-month study that would cure them of ‘bad blood’, a catch-all term for the symptoms of fatigue, aches, and coincidently, the symptoms of syphilis. Nearly half the subjects unknowingly already had syphilis, however the researchers did not inform them of this._

_This was not the only thing the researchers failed to do. What was supposed to be a six-month study turned into a forty-year experiment, in which patients were monitored as they died of the disease, as well as unwittingly spreading it to their wives and children. Even after the introduction of penicillin in the 40’s, which proved an effective medicine against syphilis, the male subjects were denied treatment, or even a real explanation as to why they were in the study. When the general public became aware of the experiment in the 70’s, their widespread horror was enough to shut down the experiment, as well as meagerly compensate the patients who had survived…_

_This is Wolf Blitzer, reminding you that darkness lies at the heart of many things, but enough people coming together can shed light and make for great change…_

“Catraaaaa!”

The voice was distant. Catra barely registered it as she carried Adora towards the city. The high walls were dark, but the buildings beyond it were awash with lights. They twinkled in Catra’s vision, then blurred as her mind emptied.

Adora shifted in her arms, turning towards her. “you’re cold,” she murmured.

Catra didn’t respond. One foot fell in front of the other as she continued, her pace quickening. Faster and faster Catra ran, until she was sprinting with all her strength towards the ever-growing wall. Her arms burned from Adora’s weight, but the force captain barely noticed. She heard shouts behind her. Catra’s claws dug into the earth, propelling her onward.

Floodlights came to life up and down the wall. They moved around wildly before converging on Catra, blinding her with light as she ran. She simply closed her eyes and grit her teeth, willing herself to move faster.

She felt something hit her from behind. Both Catra and Adora tumbled backwards onto soft feathers. She found herself on Swift-Wind’s back as he galloped forward. Catra grabbed Adora and held her tightly as she gripped the unicorn with her legs. Swift-Wind flapped twice, then took off into the air. A moment later, the wall opened up with thousands of flashes. Bullets tore up the ground where Catra had been, sending dirt and grass into the sky.

Swift-Wind flapped his wings mightily, gaining altitude as the floodlights searched the air. The flashes resumed, bullets whizzing around them. Swift-Wind folded his wings, plummeting through the air towards the wall. Catra pressed herself and Adora against the unicorn’s back. She saw the princess mumbling something, but couldn’t hear her over the sound of gunfire in the wind.

Figures scrambled as Swift-Wind reached the top of the wall. He tried to extend his wings for a landing, but stumbled and slid across the smooth surface. Catra and Adora tumbled from his back. The force captain came to a stop on all fours. She scrambled to where Adora lay, tackling a nearby figure. She dragged her claws across the figure’s helmet, ripping it away and then punching them in the face. She then grabbed the soldier’s gun and stood with it.

Letting out a feral scream, Catra gripped the weapon with both hands and pulled the trigger. The gun flashed, lighting up her section of the wall. She was surrounded by figures.

Catra turned in a slow circle, emptying the gun. Swift-Wind galloped behind her, knocking away several soldiers. When the weapon clicked empty, Catra threw it away and raced for Adora. “Swift-Wind!” She fell down by Adora and dragged her up. She brought the princess’s lips to her ear. Catra nearly broke with relief as she felt shallow breathing coming from Adora. “Swift-Wind!” She screamed, turning and looking for the unicorn.

Swift-Wind lashed out with his hind legs, knocking a figure off the wall. He looked up. “I’m coming!” He turned and kicked another figure, then galloped towards Catra. She bent her knees, leaping with all her strength as the unicorn barreled past. Catra landed on his back, Swift-Wind using one wing to steady her.

“Get us down into the city!” Catra yelled, her voice drowning in the gunfire. 

“I’m afraid I cannot do that!” Swift-Wind yelled back, waving a blood-stained wing. “The fiends got me!”

Catra grit her teeth, holding Adora close. “Can you carry her on your back?”

Swift-Wind trampled a soldier, then slowed to knock another aside with his horn. “Leave it to me!” He said, gaining speed. Catra took a deep breath, then pushed Adora further up Swift-Wind’s back. The force captain flipped off the back of the unicorn, landing in a crouch. She swept out her leg, knocking aside a soldier. He hit the floor and Catra delivered an elbow to his head. She then ripped his gun away, standing.

The barrel flashed. Floodlights blinded her as the gun jumped in her grip. Catra held tight and squeezed the trigger. She felt small objects whizz by her head and moved to the side, keeping low. The gun emptied. Catra tossed it aside, then turned and ran on all fours after Swift-Wind.

She collapsed as a bullet passed through her palm, then rolled across the smooth surface of the wall. Catra came to a stop in a heap. She let out a cry of pain as she gripped her hand, blood pouring from the wound.

Gunfire started up, chipping the metal around her. Bright flashes followed. The gunfire went silent. “CATRRRAAA!”

The force captain opened her eyes. Emily rolled towards her, Entrapta riding atop her. The purple-haired princess used her robot as a springboard, summersaulting through the air. She landed, scoping up Catra with her ponytails. Emily grabbed hold of Entrapta as they passed, carrying both of them. 

“GO!” Catra yelled, then grit her teeth in pain. “Find Adora!” 

“Bad idea bad idea,” Entrapta said, ducking her head as bullets whizzed by. “Ah! This is madness!”

Catra grabbed Entrapa’s arm with her good hand. “Get us off the wall! Find the unicorn!” She winced, letting go and gripping her hand.

“Oooohhhh,” Entrapta said, her expression worried. “You’re losing a lot of blood!”

“Not as much as Adora, find her!”

Entrapta slapped the side of Emily as she moved atop the wall. In response, the robot threw herself off the top, sailing down towards the city and its lights. “Found her!” Catra searched the wall, finding Swift-Wind galloping vertically down the side. “Wha?” Entrapta said, squinting. “That’s not how gravity works!”

“Who cares just follow him!” Catra yelled, clutching her hand to her chest.

The base of the wall inside the city was dark and tangled with trash and discarded building materials. Emily landed on a pile of wooden pallets, splintering them with a loud crack. Catra extracted herself from Entrapta’s hair. The force captain slid down, landing on the wood, then stumbled forward.

“Careful!” Entrapa called, her voice distressed. “You really shouldn’t be walking around!”

“where is she,” Catra muttered, taking unsteady steps through the garbage heaps. Her vision blurred as she felt blood seep from her palm. Swift-Wind emerged from behind a pile of trash. He looked at Adora, who lay across his back. Catra half-ran, half-staggered towards them. Blackness tinged the edge of vision, and then she felt herself fall to the ground.

When she awoke, Catra ached all over. She was on a hard floor. Her hand throbbed as she slowly brought it to her face. It was wrapped in white gauze, though the middle was stained red. Catra groaned as she sat up.

She was in a cell, wearing a white jumpsuit. Her heart dropped as anger and fear flashed inside her. There were no bars, only a thick glass wall with six holes near the ceiling. Catra used her good hand to get up. The aches in her body flared. She slowly approached the glass wall, placing a hand to it. On the other side of the clear surface was a concrete hallway. She could make out the edges of another glass wall further down the opposite side.

Catra’s hand fell from the glass as she turned. She stepped to the middle of the cell and sat cross-legged, facing away. Her thoughts raced as she tried to formulate a plan. The minutes stretched as Catra grew angrier and more miserable. Her head sank to her chest as tears brimmed in the corner of her eyes.

Footsteps caused her to raise her head quickly. She wiped away the tears with the back of her hand, but didn’t turn. The footsteps sounded like several people. There was also something being wheeled down the hall.

“Well well well,” A voice said. It was male, and deep. “You’re awake. Gonna give me any trouble kitten?” Scowling, Catra glanced over her shoulder. Four men stood on the other side of the glass wall. They were dressed in black gear, though they wore no helmets. The man who had spoken tilted his head as he stared at Catra. “Why don’t you lay on the floor with your hands on your head, and then we’ll come in,” The force captain’s gaze moved to the object next to them. It was a table on wheels, with restraints looped over the top.

“Where’s Adora,” Catra said, her voice low.

The man chuckled. “Oh I think they’re running some tests, but that doesn’t really concern you, does it. Now get on the floor and put your hands on your head. Because if I have to get rough with you, I’m going to get _really_ rough,”

Catra slowly rose from where she was sitting. She turned, extending her claws. Her wound sent shocks of pain through her entire body, but Catra ignored it. “Come on in,” She said, flexing her good hand.

The men grinned, sharing looks. They took out long black sticks with prongs on the end. The lead man shrugged, waving a keycard in front of the glass wall. “Suit yourself bitch, but don’t say I didn’t warn you,” 

The door slid open and the men rushed in. Catra jerked backwards as two of them lunged with their sticks. She felt the air crackle, then braced her foot against the wall and launched off it. Catra impacted into one of the men, knocking them backwards. She raked her claws as hard as she could across his face, tearing out an eye as she brought her hand up. Catra’s whole body seized as she felt electricity course through her. The men were stabbing her with the black sticks again and again, driving her down to the floor. 

“THAT BITTCH!” The wounded man screamed, rolling on the floor as he gripped his face. “SHE TOOK MY EYE! SHE TOOK MY EYE!”

The other three stopped shocking Catra. One of them brought his boot back and viciously kicked her in the stomach. Another kicked her in the back, causing Catra to cry out in pain. The men took turns delivery their boots into her body, until her vision faded.

She felt herself lifted from the ground and tossed on the table. Rough hands pulled the restraints over her, tightening them to the point she could barely breath. Catra felt the table jerk, then wheeled quickly down the hall. “Get Jeremy to the med room now!” A voice yelled, angry. Catra felt something come close to her ear, then the leader’s low tone. “You better fucking hope I never get twenty minutes alone with you kitten, you’re going to pay for that,”

Catra felt herself dip in and out of consciousness. The table stopped, light washing over her. She vaguely registered the sound of fading bootsteps.

“Damn,” A voice said. She felt a prick in her arm, then adrenaline surged through her body.

“GAH!” Catra yelled, her eyes shooting open. She struggled to sit up, but the restraints held her tight.

A man in a suit and tie stood over her. He was younger than the soldiers and wore a curious smile on his face. “They really beat the shit out of you, huh?”

A woman in a white smock stood next to him, holding a syringe. She disposed of it, then turned away to consult a handheld tablet. Catra grit her teeth. “I’m going to kill you all,”

The man laughed. “Oh I’m sure you would if we let you! Rawr! You’re a little spitfire huh?”

Catra’s chest rose and fell as she breathed heavily. She strained against the restraints, feeling her wound in her hand again. Finally she gave up, relaxing and staring at the white ceiling. “Where is Adora,”

The man came around the table, invading her view of the ceiling with his face. “I think she’s still in surgery, she’s got some pretty serious injuries! But let’s talk about you,”

“Who are you,”

The man placed a hand to his tie. “Trent Berkley, Management Solutions, based out of L.A. Course, we probably don’t even have an office there anymore,”

“You don’t look like you have what it takes to torture me,” Catra said, giving him a small, mocking smile.

“Torture?” Trent said, raising both eyebrows. He let out a laugh, turning to the woman in the white smock. “She thinks I’m going to torture her!”

“You torture me with that tie,” The woman said, wholly concentrated on the tablet she held.

Shaking his head with a smile, the man looked back down at Catra “No no, there’s no need to torture you! You’re an important asset! Huge fan by the way, my niece loves the show. I haven’t seen the third season yet but I assume there’s a bunch more angst and drama,”

“What the stars are you talking about,” Catra said, narrowing her eyes.

Trent turned to the woman in the white smock. “Here’s an interesting question, maybe you can answer it Mindy. Which came first, Noelle Stevenson’s pitch, or this world?”

The nurse pursed her lips and shrugged, her eyes still on the tablet. “Can’t say Mr. Berkley, I don’t understand any of that,”

“I love this metaphysical crap,” Trent said, winking down at Catra. “The answer, at least according to the scientists, is neither!” He opened his arms wide. “Beginnings and ends only exist in this dimension! Time is a constraint of space! But go beyond three dimensions, and there are no more questions of chickens and eggs! Stevenson’s imaginary world of Etheria, and this very, very real version of it, come from one and the same source!”

“WHAT THE STARS ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT!” Catra screamed, kicking against her restraints. “LET ME SEE ADORA, NOW!”

“Oh god my niece would have loved to have heard that,” Trent said, grinning wide. “She always shipped you two,” He turned to the woman, frowning. “Is that the word? ‘Shipped’?”

“I’m just as confused as the girl now,” The woman said, tilting her head as she tapped away at the screen. “Maybe stop, her vital signs are fluctuating,”

“Right right,” The man said, holding up his palms. “Sorry, it’s not every day you actually get to meet the real-life version of a cartoon character,” He clasped his hands together, looking paternal. “So here’s the deal Miss Catra, you’re what we like to call a “valuable asset”, which means that you have abilities we want to take advantage of. And by “we”, I mean my employers,”

Catra slowly narrowed her eyes. “You took my memories,”

“Well, not me. Look, our world’s dying right? Plus the Chinese are being little shits right now, and the Russian’s are making global commerce an absolute bitch with their hacking bullshit, not to mention the fucking Brits can’t seem to get their act together. So my employers, and many like-minded people, are very interested in saying _fuck the earth_ , leaving it, and expanding this nice city here,” He leaned in close to Catra, a frown on his face. “There’s just one problem, this world isn’t _exactly_ like the Netflix show,” He straightened back up. “Oh sure Stevenson got everything right, that she showed that is. There’s only what, three seasons right? This world is so much bigger than that,” He winked at Catra. “And so very, very violent. Dreamworks sure as fuck didn’t show that. Oh, quick question I’ve always wondered, do you guys actually kill people in the Horde? I swear I was watching the show with my niece and everyone’s just knocking each other out. But I know for a fact people have died here, and since reality and the show are intertangled on a higher dimensional level, I was curious if they had a little teen cat girl like yourself straight-up killing people,” Trent snapped. “Ah, but that’s right, they took your memories,”

Catra curled back her lip, revealing her teeth. “Why don’t you undo these restraints and I’ll show you whether I kill people,”

“HohoHO!” Trent said, holding his stomach as he laughed. “Yes yes, classic. But no. Back to what I was saying. Things like princesses of power, and super-elite child soldiers,” He shrugged. “We just don’t have things like that where we come from. In fact, the only reason we’ve made it this far is because the Horde didn’t really have what you could call an Air Force. Oh, but we did. We’ve poured trillions of dollars into aerial combat. But an F-35 can’t kill _everything_ on this world. So that’s where you and Adora and the others come in,”

Catra’s mind raced. It was too much, and she only understood about half. Something slowly dawned on her. “You….you know who I am,”

“Yup that’s right. Our world _also_ doesn’t have things like magic or fate or superheroes, but we are the only reality with people who can channel other dimensions. I’ve watched a good portion of your life with my niece. Well, like twenty episodes of your life. I think I get the gist. Young confused lesbian, betrayed by her best friend, yada yada. Personally I’m more of a _Watchmen_ guy myself, love that dark and gritty shit,”

Catra wanted to kill this man very, very badly. “give me my memories back,” She said, her voice dangerously low.

Trent seemed to consider it, placing his hand to his chin. “Hmmm, let’s make a deal, shall we? For a while we had all the little princesses here in the city, doing what we wanted and helping us towards our Utopia. But then they escaped!” The man shook his head at the woman in white. “Damn shame really, my bosses were _fucking furious_. But they didn’t watch the show, I could have told them the princesses would try and escape. I honestly think it’s stupid that everyone in this city isn’t required to watch the series, it’s like our only real intelligence on this place, and they keep wanting to treat it like a new earth they can spoil instead of a very-much alive magical super planet,”

“Get to the point,” Catra said, fury building in her.

Trent pointed at her. “You and Adora have a bond, right? She’ll listen to you. Convince her that it’s important to find the other princesses, then go hunt them down and bring them back. Do that, and I’ll give you your memories,”

Catra didn’t respond at first as she processed the man’s words. “You want me to hunt people like Adora…”

“Well yeah,” Trent said, shrugging. “Shouldn’t be too hard right? It’ll be like you’re right back in the Horde! That’s half your past anyways, fighting princesses. All you have to do is convince Adora that her old friends are actually enemies, and she needs to fight them. And that’s really important by the way, because I think we both know Glimmer and Bow are going to do everything in their power to take her away from you,”

“Take her away from me?” Catra repeated, furrowing her brow in confusion.

Trent leaned in close, a small smile on his face. “Well sure, you wouldn’t want that would you? Then you’d be truly alone. No Horde. No Adora. No memories. Nothing.”

Catra’s heart pounded in her chest. The woman in the white smock looked up from her tablet. “You’re raising her blood pressure too high, dial it back,”

“Yup,” The man said, holding up his hands in an apologetic gesture. “My bad, just wanted to get the point across. So what do you say Catra? Convince Adora to help you hunt princesses and bring them back to us, and you’ll not only get your memories, you’ll become very, very important to us. It’ll be just like your old life in the Horde, with even more perks, and the respect you deserve…”

Trent seemed to be implying that he knew something about Catra that she didn’t. It infuriated her. She tried to turn away, but the restraints held her. The silence stretched. Finally she met his gaze. “Fine. I’ll do it,”

“Excellent!” Trent said, clapping once.

“What about Entrapta, I want her to come with as well,”

Trent sucked in air through his teeth. “ooooohhhh, no-can-do Miss Catra. My employers _really_ like your purple-haired friend. She’s very valuable as well,” He shrugged. “But hey, bring back the princesses, and you can visit Entrapta all you want. Hell, you can go anywhere and do anything in the city,” A knowing smile appeared on his face. “This place is better than Dubai, after all,”

“No Entrapta, no deal,”

“Ha!” Trent said, then a pained expression crossed his face. “Looook, _I_ like you, and there’s plenty of people here who are impressed by your kung-fu powers. But don’t think you’re _that_ valuable. At least not yet. You’re not a princess or anything, just some teen soldier. But luckily, Adora seems to like you, and _that_ has potential. Get her on our side, and you will be easily more important than any princess,”

Catra slowly swallowed as she tried to stay on top of the conversation. “How do I know you won’t hurt Entrapta while we’re gone,”

“Would you damage your best weapon?”

“No,” Catra said, furrowing her brow in confusion.

Trent frowned. “I don’t know if she’s on the spectrum or what, but that girl is fucking _Rainman_ smart. My bosses practically nutted when I told them what she could build. They want her tech _bad_. So don’t worry about Entrapta, people from my world have always worshipped genius,”

Catra was silent. She turned her head to the side, trying to act disinterested. “Alright, I don’t really care whether I serve energy vampires. Now let me see Adora,”

“Oh man!” Trent said, laughing. “You’ve got to be less obvious with that shit! You’ll have to get used to that fact that you’re a celebrity with all the Silicon Valley transplants in this city. You might not know your past, but there’s _plenty_ of nerds around here who watched the show. So, you know, guard your words and all that. We can see right through you,”

For some reason, Catra felt very, very exposed and vulnerable. As if Trent had just threatened her. She hated it. “Are you going to keep talking at a tied-up girl,” Catra said, raising an eyebrow. “Because one of your brute soldiers already wants me. Would be kinda nice if you two got in a fight and killed each other,”

Trent let out a noise of surprise. “Oh, well, seems your time with us has already made you slightly unpredictable. That’s kind of funny! We’re a very vulgar culture, so don’t let me catch you swearing or making sex jokes. It would break my niece’s heart!”

“Guess we’ll have to see,” Catra said, fixing him with an unreadable expression.

“Right. Mindy, let’s get her to her forbidden lover. And remember Miss Catra, no funny business, or you’ll lose everything,”

Catra said nothing as she was wheeled out of the white room. A long hallway passed by her vision, though the force captain ignored everything but the ceiling. At least, that’s how she tried to make it to appear. Catra did in fact make note of the soldiers standing at intervals along the hallway, as well as the intersections and signs they passed.

“There is one thing I should mention,” Trent said, walking beside her bed. “That I’m sure you already know. There are many things we couldn’t predict, but much of our military forces beyond the city going batshit insane was the biggest. We can’t really explain it, but this world does something to us regular ol’ humans if we get to far from the walls. So be careful, you don’t want to see what happens when a man’s outsides transform to match the darkness of his insides,”

“How poetic,” Catra said, her voice tinged with sarcasm. “You really like hearing yourself talk, huh,”

“Just a fair warning my furry friend. This isn’t an Etheria either of us will recognize. Not anymore,”

Finally they came to a new door. Men in black gear surrounded the bed, one of them undoing the restraints. They stood guard as Catra slowly sat up and rubbed her arms.

“Welp,” Trent said, standing by the door. “This is it, she’s in there. Once you convince her, we’ll get you some gear and the intel you’ll need to start hunting the princesses,”

Catra simply nodded, sliding neatly off the bed onto the ground. Trent gestured at one of the soldiers, who opened the door with a wave of his key card. The force captain didn’t look at anyone as she passed into the room.

The inside was pale white and lined with beeping machines. Adora lay on a bed in the middle, wearing a light-blue garment. Tubes were connected to her arm, leading to bags hanging from metal poles. Adora’s eyes were closed, but opened as Catra approached.

“hey,” she said, her voice soft. She tried to smile, but it was weak.

“Hey,” Catra said, a million emotions fighting for control of her face. Adora started to sit up, but Catra held out a hand. “Don’t,”

“no, it’s okay,” Adora said, struggling up. “They did something to me…to accelerate the healing,” Catra helped her up, then stood back. The force captain glanced down at her own hand. She slowly unwrapped the gauze. “What happened?” Adora said, watching with worry. Her voice sounded a bit stronger now that she was sitting up.

Catra finished unwrapping the gauze, letting it fall away. Her wound was almost completely healed, if not a little pink. “Nothing,” Catra responded, clasping her hands behind her.

Both of them were silent, the only noise being the steady beep of the machines. “So,” Adora said, raising her head to meet Catra’s gaze. “They haven’t really told me much. Are we prisoners?”

“No,” Catra said, glancing away. “Not really. They…need us…actually,”

Adora looked puzzled. “You mean the star-stripes?”

“I don’t know if these are star-stripes,” Catra said. “I think that’s a different group than the…city people,”

“What do they need us for?” Adora dropped her voice, staring intently at Catra. “Have you seen Entrapta? Or Swift-Wind? How about my sword! Or the slaves?”

Catra took a deep breath, exhaling slowly. “Entrapta’s safe here, they like her actually. Us as well…because…” She struggled with what she wanted to say. How she wanted to _lie_. “We’re important,” Catra finally finished.

Adora looked even more confused. “What do they need us for?”

“We’re the only ones who can defeat a very, very dangerous creature…and, they said if we did, we’d…save a lot of people…and you’d get your…” Catra trailed off. She hated this. She didn’t want to talk anymore, to deceive.

“My sword?” Adora said, growing excited. “Is that what you were about to say? I’d get my sword back?”

Catra closed her eyes tightly and gritted her teeth. Slowly, she nodded. “Yeah,”

Adora moved her legs off the bed, tearing the tubes from her arm and standing. She grabbed Catra’s hands excitedly, though she winced. Adora quickly recovered, smiling. “Well what are we waiting for!” She paused. “Wait, who are these enemies?”

“The real energy vampires,” Catra said, holding Adora’s hands in hers. She met her gaze.

_“The princesses,”_


	7. You Exist to be Consumed

_At this point you may be wondering “Wolf Blitzer, what’s the point of all this? Every country has skeletons in their closets, that is the unfortunate result of people who gain power,” And you are correct, my imaginary friend. But there is no country quite like the United States. For its leaders have always championed our greatness. Truly, there is no nation that is more blind to its own shortcomings than our own. And it is on this note that I will go even further back to the year 1867, almost a hundred years after our country’s founding._

_It during this time that the United States of America desired to begin construction on its grand trans-continental railroad, a rail line that would stretch from the East coast to the West. The key players were the company building it, Credit Mobilier, and the company who hired them, the Union Pacific Railroad company. The first part of the scandal involved Credit Mobilier overcharging for every element of construction, which in turn allowed them to rake in obscene profits. In addition, over nine million dollars in bribes were given to four senators, the Vice-President, the Treasury Secretary, and the Speaker and members of the House to smooth the wheels of this plan._

_Although this type of bribery was not terribly uncommon during this time, or even today for that matter, the effects of the scandal would go on to hurt a very large number of people. James Garfield’s reputation was forever marred, despite him still being elected President. Because of this, his efforts to protect freed slaves in the south during Reconstruction often failed because few in those states trusted him or the Federal government._

_Greed often undermines even the best of intentions, in the end._

Adora stared at Catra, confusion marking her features. “The princesses? I’m a princess right? Why would they be a threat?”

Catra turned away, giving a small shrug. She didn’t want Adora to see her face. “Stars if I know, but it turns out the people in this city are…the victims. And the princesses are going to hurt everyone here,”

“But, but,” Adora said, still confused. “What about the slaves? Auga and Coralis said-”

“Auga and Coralis were lying,” Catra shot back, suddenly turning on Adora. She glared, but it turned to barely-concealed pain. Catra took a tentative step forward. She slowly extended a hand, holding it in the air between her and the princess. It only took a moment for Adora’s hand to rise as well, taking it. “Do you…” Catra began, pausing as their fingers intertwined. She tried again. “You said when you’re with me, it feels like a small part of you has been returned…right? You said that, you…did,” Adora nodded, still unsure. “Then,” Catra put her other hand on top of Adora’s. “Let’s be together. Here,”

Adora thought hard, her brow creasing with worry. “It’s just, everything we’ve heard about this city, it sounds so bad…how could Auga and Coralis be lying?”

Catra let go of her hand, turning her back to Adora. “You have to make a choice…” she said, crossing her arms and closing her eyes tightly. “You have to chose who you think is telling the truth. You have to choose between all those good feelings you claim to have, and everything else,”

Nothing was said for several moments, the only sound being the beeping of the machines. “That’s not fair Catra,” Adora said, her voice hurt. “You’re literally all I have. Since I woke up in that cell it’s been you, right across from me. And not just that. Those good feelings are real. When I look at you, I know you’re important to me. Don’t you feel the same?”

Catra didn’t turn. The conversation was becoming too painful. “That’s why I’m here Adora,” she said, her voice strained. She worked hard to make it steady. “We can both do great things here…and I’m realizing…I don’t want…I want to do great things together,”

Catra felt a hand on her shoulder. She let herself be turned around by Adora. The princess stared at her, a gentle expression on her face. “I only know two things. That I want to fix what I see wrong around me, and that being with you makes me feel like I can actually do it. I don’t know anything else about this world, or myself. But I know that. And I’m glad to hear you say it too. I trust you Catra,” She gave her a genuine smile that killed Catra inside. 

“I didn’t say anything like that,” Catra said, glancing to the side as her face burned. 

Adora let out a laugh, taking her hand again. “Oh you _totally_ did! Even if you didn’t say it,”

“why,” Catra said, her voice quiet.

“Why?” Adora repeated, puzzled.

“why are you so trusting,” She said, tears brimming in the corner of her eyes. “Why are you so confident when it comes to your feelings…” She pulled her hand away from Adora, hugging herself. “Don’t you know that’s how people get hurt,”

“Catra?” Adora said, coming around to see her face.

Catra sniffed and wiped at her eyes. “Nothing, forget it. The people who want us to help are waiting in the hallway,”

Adora nodded, her expression turning serious. “Right, so are these…evil princesses or something?”

“Yeah, that,” Catra said, sniffing again and forcing herself to calm down. “Evil princesses,”

“Let’s go then. If I can help, I want to help,”

The door to the hallway opened, and Catra led Adora out of the room. The men in black tactical gear were waiting, as well as Trent Berkley. _Bravo_ he mouthed to Catra. She glanced away in shame, gritting her teeth.

“Hello hello!” Trent said, coming up to Adora and taking her hand. He shook it enthusiastically, surprising the princess. “Pleasure to meet you, huge fan, we’re all rooting for you and Catra on multiple levels, trust me,”

“Huh?” Adora said, confused.

Trent clapped his hands together once. “Right, let’s get you to the briefing room, then we’ll do a quick PR event, then it’s on to the gear lockers to fit you up for the field,”

“Hold on,” Catra said, narrowing her eyes. “What does all that mean?”

“It means,” Trent said, giving her a meaningful glance. “That we’re not just going to toss you into the mission! Your innate skills are intact, but that mind-wiping did a real number on you I’d imagine,”

Adora grew serious. “Do you know who took our memories?” She paused. “What exactly is the difference between you and the star-stripes?”

“The who?”

“Star-stripes,” Catra said. “We were wearing their uniforms when you captured us,”

Trent’s eyes went wide. “Oh! Ha! Right, the U.S Army. Let’s see…the difference between them and us is they’re boring killers who are losing their minds outside the wall because they’re useless, and we’re wonderful and beautiful people who don’t have an aversion to facial hair!” Trent beamed, as if this was a satisfactory answer. He then grew serious. “Now, as for your memories, a terrible tragedy that. Completely out of our control. But as I told Catra, once you’re successful in this mission, we can return them,”

“Why not now,” Adora said, tilting her head.

“Oooohhhh, you know how it is,” Trent said, shrugging. “You’ve got to earn our trust and all that. Give and take, that is the law of life,”

Catra took Adora’s arm holding it gently. “It’s fine,” She turned to Trent, her voice firm. “We told you we’d help and I’m getting tired of listening to your voice. Let’s go,”

Trent gave her a warning look, but quickly smiled. “Right this way ladies!” He said, gesturing down the hall. Catra and Adora followed him as he started walking. The men in black gear brought up their rear. The presence and bootsteps made Catra’s hair stick up on the back of her neck.

“So,” Adora said, gazing ahead at Trent. “If you’re not energy vampires like the star-stripes, what are you?”

“Explores! Entrepreneurs!” Trent gestured in the air as he walked. “The most talented and brilliant innovators you’ve ever seen!” He looked over his shoulder at the girls, adopting a mournful expression. “Our world is burning, and we were forced to come here! But don’t worry, once we realized this world was dangerous too, we brought everyone into the city to keep them safe! That’s all we want really, a Utopia for everyone to be the greatest versions of themselves!”

Catra snorted. “Stop asking questions Adora, this man thinks we’re his captive audience,”

“Catra,” Trent said, holding up a finger as he kept walking. “You of all people should know you’ve got to grab life by the balls!” He reached a door, pressing a button. The doors revealed the entry to an elevator. They all boarded, with the men in black gear crowding the girls towards the back. They stared down at them with rough faces. Adora’s pinky found Catra’s, holding it for comfort as the elevator rose.

When the doors opened again, the men filed out, with Catra and Adora exiting last. They were in a new hallway, with massive windows on one side. Catra couldn’t help but gaze out at the city as they walked along it. The buildings were still ablaze with lights. Hundreds of them rose up before her. A trio of helicopters moved in formation between the buildings, and beyond them, the first hints of sunrise splayed across the horizon.

“Nice view right?” Trent said, still leading the group. “You can see things like this everyday in City One, and much, much more,”

“How many people are here?” Adora said, her voice awed.

“Oh hell if I know. Last time I checked it was around five million I think?”

Adora furrowed her brow. “Surely there’s more than five million on Etheria? Didn’t you gather everyone here to keep them safe?”

“Oh sure, sure, I mean I don’t _really_ know how many people are here. But definitely all the people you’re worried about, for sure,”

Adora seemed ready to protest, prompting Trent to slow and step on Catra’s foot. He made it look like an accident, but the force captain knew what it meant. “Let’s talk more about those evil princesses,” Catra said, sniffing.

“Oh and we definitely will talk about them,” Trent said, coming to a stop in front of a large pair of doors. “Right in here,”

The doors opened, revealing a circular room. Three men in suits, as well as a woman, reclined at a large, dark wooden table in the center. One wall was all windows, gazing out towards the city and the rising sun. The other was a large screen.

“Lady and gentlemen,” Trent said, stepping into the room. He waved Adora and Catra forward. “May I present to you, the return of our greatest assets in the War on Instability, Miss Catra and Miss Adora!”

Catra took a deep breath, then took the lead. Adora quickly followed. The men and woman appraised both of them, the woman nodding. “Thank you Berkley,” One of the men said. He turned to Adora and Catra. “Girls, why don’t you have a seat and make yourself comfortable. We’ve got all the beverages or food you could want, just wave over Chef Juana over there,”

A figure wearing a white uniform, a strange puffy hat, and an equally strange white mask, stood against the wall with a silver cart. The figure nodded to the girls, presenting items on the cart with a flourish of their hand.

“We’re fine,” Catra said, pulling back a seat and sitting heavily. After she felt the eyes of everyone in the room on her, she put her legs up on the table and got comfortable. Adora reluctantly sat in the chair next to her.

“Alright girls,” Another man said, leaning forward in his chair and threading his hands together on the table. “I’m glad you’ve agreed to help us out. The terrorists who are threatening this city are both capable and well-hidden,”

“We know though that you two will have no problem taking them down,” The woman said, smiling warmly.

“That’s right,” Trent said, slipping out a black rectangular object and sucking on it. A moment later he exhaled a cloud of smoke. “Adora and Catra are the best there is in this world!”

Catra rolled her eyes as she leaned back in her seat. “Where are they and how many,”

One of the men turned and gestured at the wall with the screen on it. Images appeared, detailing seven women of various ages and a young man. “We don’t know how many of these people are actually still alive, but the terrorist leaders include people named Glimmer, Mermista, Frosta, Spinnerella, Netossa and Bow. The other two we have little info on,”

Catra recognized two of the names; Glimmer and Bow. They were the ones Trent had claimed would try and take Adora away from her. Catra glanced out of the corner of her eye at the princess. Adora had a strange look on her face, almost as if the images were awakening something in her. The man changed the images on the screen with a wave of his hand. The new image was a birds-eye view of a forest.

“The Whispering Woods,” The man said. “Or as we’re calling it, the Iron Triangle,”

Trent shook his head. “Our own personal Vietnam, place is a fucking nightmare,”

The man cleared his throat, continuing. “We know the terrorist group known as the Princess Alliance operates out of here. We took out most of Bright Moon, but there’s still over 80,000 square miles of forest that we haven’t managed to gain control over,”

“That’s a lot of ground to cover,” Catra said, inspecting her freshly-healed hand.

“You’ll have access to our best security forces, as well as our equipment,” The woman said, tilting her head as she gazed at Catra.

Adora stroked a strand of hair falling down her cheek, then paused. “I thought your people changed if they left the city?”

“Smart girl,” Trent said. “But we’ll be sending locals with you that we trained ourselves. So you’ll see first-hand how we’ve taken care of everyone! And if _you two_ can’t take care of this, well…” 

“We’ll nuke the whole fucking place if we have to,” A man said. He had not previously spoken, and seemed very irritable.

“But!” Trent said, leaning between the two girls with his arms around their chairs. “We’d rather not, lots of valuable resources down there,” Trent looked up at the man who spoke. “Isn’t that right Mr. Mercer?”

The man rolled his eyes. “You’re just a fucking PR stooge Berkley, don’t flap those lips at me unless you have something to justify your ridiculous salary,”

“Moving on,” The woman said, blinking politely at everyone. She turned to Catra and Adora. “We’re sending you into Blue Eagle base, to take it for City One and its citizens. You’ll have a month to establish patrols through the Iron Triangle and root out terrorist activity,”

“And if you don’t find them,” the irritable man said. He mimicked an explosion.

Adora straightened up. “I don’t feel like destroying an entire forest is a good idea,”

“These terrorists are very serious,” The woman said, smiling warmly. “They could hurt a lot of people if allowed to carry out an attack,”

“Just think,” Trent said, sitting on the edge of the table next to Adora. “Once you save millions of people, not only will your memories be returned, but all your friends will already be here, safe and sound!”

Adora didn’t respond for a moment, her expression pensive. “That sounds nice…” She said, her tone guarded. “And I’ll get my sword back,” 

Trent raised an eyebrow, but quickly recovered. “Of course! Now, I’m not sure if we even have it, sword? There’s lots of swords here! But if we do, it’s yours! You can have a hundred swords!”

“Don’t talk to me like a child,” Adora said, her voice holding a warning. “A star-stripe told me himself you had it here, and that they were working with you,”

Catra noted the other people in the room were staring intently at Trent. “Well far be it from me to argue with our boys in uniform!” The young man said, a disarming smile on his face.

The first man idly tapped on the table. “Like Mr. Berkley said, if we have it, it’s yours. Just bring us the terrorists in body bags,”

“We’ve already agreed,” Catra said, her tone neutral. “Now I remember you mentioning we’d get soldiers and vehicles, so let’s see them,”

Trent got up from the edge of the table and adjusted his tie. “Not just yet girls, we’ve got an event to attend!” 

Catra and Adora shared a look. “Event?” Adora said, her brow creasing.

“I already told Catra,” Trent said, winking. “But you two are somewhat of celebrities here! Word’s spread on Twitter throughout the city that you’re here and helping, and the people could really use something to encourage them!”

The woman in the suit nodded. “Living in fear isn’t good for any group, but a quick appearance by you girls would lift everyone’s spirits,”

“Well,” Adora said, thinking hard. She turned to Catra. “I guess that wouldn’t be so bad, would we have to give speeches?”

The adults in the room, save the irritable man, all chuckled. “No no,” Trent said, waving a palm. “Just stand there and wave,” He clapped once. “So how bout it! Let’s head over to the Sackler Center, since that’s where we announced you’d be,”

Adora and Catra slowly rose. The force captain could feel the eyes of the men and woman on her, and hastened to follow Trent out of the room.

There wasn’t much time for speaking as the two girls were rushed through hallways, elevators, and finally, a large lobby. A black vehicle waited outside the building. Around it were bulky black Humvees with soldiers poking out of the top. The men wore black gear and helmets, and gripped massive guns attached to the tops of the vehicles.

“Whoa,” Adora said, allowing herself to be helped into the nicer sedan. Catra ducked in next, followed by Trent. The interior of the vehicle was spacious and lined with glossy seats. Catra settled next to Adora, touching her knees with hers as a way to keep from being overwhelmed. The door was shut by a man in a suit and hat, as well as a black mask. The sedan pulled away from the curb, the black Humvees falling into place behind it.

“So here’s how we’ll do this,” Trent said, sucking on his black rectangle. He exhaled, filling the interior of the vehicle with mist. Catra made a face and waved it away. It smelled…fruity, but also wrong. The young man pocketed his rectangle. “There’s a balcony at the Sackler Center, we use it for parades and shit. We’ll have some influencers give their spiel, get the crowd riled up, then we’ll put you front and center and talk about how you’re our greatest agents of freedom, blah blah, bunch more feel-good shit. The crowd will eat it up. We’ll also be live-streaming, so _millions_ will see this,”

Catra pressed her knees harder against Adora’s, prompting the princess to take her hand. “How do you feel about crowds?” She said, a clearly-forced smile on her face.

“It’ll be fine,” Catra said, lying. She didn’t like any of this, but she needed Adora here.

They convoy of vehicles turned onto a new road. It was the widest Catra had ever seen, and was absolutely packed with all manner of wheeled machines. Big ones, small ones, some seemingly with just passengers and no drivers. Massive words hung to the sides of buildings, words like _Amazon, Apple, Facebook_ and _Google_. The last one Catra recognized, causing her to scowl.

The convey stopped in front of an incredibly wide building that rose up at least five stories. Flags hung from the surface, detailing logos Catra couldn’t understand. The top of the building was domed, and appeared to be made of glass. The sedan pulled to the side of the street, and black figures rushed out to form a perimeter. The door was opened by a masked man in a suit. Catra brushed his hand away as she crawled out and straightened up. Adora followed, standing close behind her.

The men in black gear formed a line towards the building. The plaza surrounding the building also had men in black gear and guns, as if they were waiting for something. Catra silently counted them as she and Adora were escorted into the building.

Past a massive entryway and a lobby that was bigger than any should be, Catra and Adora found themselves on another elevator. The doors opened, revealing a balcony and deafening noise. It was people, possibly millions of them, shaking the air itself with their voices. They cheered and hollered and blew strange horns. Catra couldn’t even see them yet, as she had just exited the doors.

What she could see where several people already on the balcony. Men and women in gray and black suits, and two women who stood out. The first was dressed in patchy, torn, and colorful clothing, as well as plenty of jewelry. The other was already walking towards the railing of the balcony and hadn’t noticed Catra or Adora yet. The second young woman was tall, tan, and with long blond hair. She wore a colorful, breezy dress, as well as flowers in her hair and around her neck. Two massive television screens on either side of the balcony, as well as on a skyscraper across from the stadium, showed a close-up of her face. The woman reached the balcony and smiled warmly as she waved, closing her eyes. The crowd roared.

“LADIES AND GENTLMEN OF CITY ONEEEEEE,” A loud voice declared. It seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere, its volume causing Catra and Adora to flinch. “YOU KNOW HER FROM INSTAGRAM AND HER NEW POM FRAGRENCE LIFE ESSENTIALS LINE, PLEASE MAKE SOME NOISE FOR PERFUMAAAAAAA!!!!”

The crowd erupted with noise. Adora took a tentative step forward, then another. Catra wanted to reach out and take her hand, but missed as the princess walked more purposefully.

“Hello!!!” The woman known as Perfuma said, opening her eyes as her voice amplified. “Thank you! Thank you! I love you all! It’s such an honor to be here right now, I’m only what I am because of you, my followers and fans, as well as the amazing people in City One!” The crowd cheered, horns blaring. Perfuma raised her palms. “You guys are just incredible! Thank you! I want to share something, while I’m here,” The crowd quieted to a dull roar. “Before I came to City One, I was a princess here in a place called Plumeria. I had a palace I called home, and a family, and a people I ruled! It wasn’t so bad, but it certainly wasn’t City One!” The crowd cheered and laughed. “Thanks to this place, I’m sponsored by the great people at Pom and partnered with Facebook! I’ve reached all of you, and made real connections! I would never dream of returning to my home, because this! Right here! Is my home! You all are all my family! I have found my people!” The crowd’s noise rose to a level that forced Catra to cover her ears. “I love you all so much! Thank you!”

Perfuma waved, then turned away from the balcony. She came face to face with Adora. “Do I know you?” Adora said, squinting at her.

“oh,” Perfuma said, the color draining from her face. “oh no, you really are here…”

“Thank you Perfuma!” Trent said, clapping her on the back and shepherding her away. “Looks like we don’t have time for our other influencer to speak, since I think the crowd can already see you. Adora, Catra,” Trent jerked his head towards the railing. “Get on up there!”

“LADIES AND GENTLEMEN,” The loud voice declared. “YOU’VE HEARD IT ON TWITTER, YOU’VE SEEN IT ON FACEBOOK, YOUR TEXT ALERTS HAVE BEEN GOING OFF! MAY I PRESENT THE GREATEST WARRIORS IN THE WORLD, ADORA AND CATRAAAAAA!!!!!”

Adora reached the railing and slowly put her hands to it. Catra came up behind her. Beyond the balcony, every street, plaza, and space was filled with bodies. They waved flags and blew horns. Many of them held signs. Catra squinted down at those closest to the balcony.

“WE LOVE YOU CATRA!” Someone screamed, waving a sign.

“ADORA, ADORA, LOOK THIS WAY PLEASE, LET ME GET A PICTURE!” Another yelled.

The signs said things like “Adora and Catra OTP” and “Catradora Forever” and “Fuck Terrorists, We’ve Got Heroes”

“what…?” Adora said, completely shocked. Catra felt the same, looking up to see her surprised face on the massive screen across from the balcony.

The loud announcer voice continued. “THAT’S RIGHT LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, YOU KNOW THEM FROM THE HIT SHOW SHE-RA AND THE PRINCESS OF POWER, NOW MEET THE REAL-LIFE VERSIONS AND THE HEROES OF CITY ONE!”

A man in a suit and a dazzling white smile appeared next to Adora and Catra, startling them. He held a microphone in his hand, seemingly oblivious to the girls. “Hello everyone!” He yelled into the mic. “Are we excited?”

The crowd roared, waving their signs. “CATRA OVER HERE!” A man yelled. “I’LL TAKE SUCH GOOD CARE OF YOU!”

“ADORA!” Another woman screamed. “I’LL BE HERE IF YOU EVER GET TIRED OF CATRA!”

“KISS!” Another couple screamed. “LET’S SEE A KISS!”

“what the fuck,” Catra said, anger rising in her. She felt a hand on her back, and the dazzling smile man winked at her.

“No swearing please, the mic might pick it up,” He turned back to the crowd as he took his hand away. Catra’s anger smoldered as she felt an overwhelming wave of emotions. Adora seemed still in shock. “So!” The man continued. “I think I speak for all of us when I say that we are in good hands, huh City One?” The crowd erupted with noise, shaking the air itself. The man put a hand to his ear as he held the mic. “Whose world?”

“OUR WORLD!” The crowd thundered.

“Whose world?”

“OUR WORLD!”

“WHOSE WORLD??”

“OUR WORLD! OUR WORLD! OUR WORLD!” The crowd lost itself in a frenzy as it heaved with bodies.

Catra felt sick.

“Give them a wave,” Trent said, his voice coming behind them. “Then we can go,”

Adora seemed to shake herself out of her shock, slowly raising her hand. “W-what’s going on,” She said, tentatively waving. The crowd went berserk.

Trent leaned down by Catra, his voice lowering. “You too now Catra, be a good sport,”

Gritting her teeth and doing everything in her power not to drag a claw across Trent’s face, Catra slowly raised her hand. The crowd’s volume surged.

The smile-man chuckled. “Make sure to like and subscribe to the Official City One Youtube channel to keep up with their operations in the Iron Triangle! The whole thing will be live-streamed!” The crowd continued their frenzy.

Trent indicated they could leave the railing. Slowly, Catra and Adora walked back towards the doors. The force captain glared at Perfuma, studying her. The young woman wearing flowers hung her head, seemingly in shame.

Once back in the elevator, both Adora and Catra were silent for a few moments. Adora shifted. “I….I don’t understand. I feel…so exposed right now,”

Trent laughed. “Yeahhh, I bet that was quite the surprise. I’ll be honest, most of those people are bandwagon fans who watched the series once they came here. This city is full of brogrammers and influencers and the rich and famous. All of your original fans are probably back on Earth perishing to global warming,”

Adora shook her head. “This…doesn’t make sense. Who…am I?”

The doors to the elevator opened, revealing a lobby full of people with cameras. Trent winked at Adora.

“You’re a star, princess,” He said, grinning. “Welcome to our world,”

Adora said nothing. Catra gazed out from the elevator at the crowd of people with cameras. Trent nudged her. Her hand slowly folded into a fist, then she took a deep breath. “C’mon,” Catra said, placing a hand to Adora’s back. “Let’s go,”

Adora nodded, waking with Catra towards a sea of camera flashes and voices. Outside, the muffled roar of the crowd continued.


	8. The Price of Everything

_War is a treacherous thing. Men become animals at the slightest provocation, and it only takes one bad apple to spoil the bunch. Such was the case in 1968 during the Vietnam War. It was a war of drafted men in a place far from home, and few wanted to be there. They still fought however, and many killed who they were told to. Sometimes, they even killed who they were told to protect._

_In what would later be known as the My Lai Massacre, American soldiers from Company C executed between 347 and 504 unarmed South Vietnamese as the army unit attempted to root out North Vietnamese soldiers. Buildings, farms and livestock were burned, and far worse things done to the civilians who were captured and then later killed. 26 American soldiers were charged, but only one was formally prosecuted; Lieutenant Calley Jr. He would be sentenced for life in prison, but only serve three months under house arrest. In addition, three servicemen who tried to protect women and children from being massacred that day were declared traitors by several prominent U.S congressmen. The three servicemen would finally be recognized as heroes thirty years later, with formal apologies issued. The massacred Vietnamese however, remained massacred._

The two girls were silent as they rode away from the stadium. Trent talked on a small rectangular box, discussing something about optics and laughing. Catra just stared down at her feet.

She was so very, very angry. Angry with herself, her situation. But most of all, Catra was angry that she didn’t know who she was, but everyone around her acted like they did. It made her feel like a fake, somehow.

“Catra,” Adora said, her voice barely above a whisper. The force captain glanced out of the corner of her eye. Adora also stared down, clearly deep in thought. “Are we doing the right thing? Something about this feels…wrong,”

Catra didn’t respond for a moment. “Whatever we’re doing,” she said, her voice equally quiet. “We’re doing it together,”

Adora gave her a weak smile. She glanced back down and nodded, almost to herself. “Together. And after this, we get our memories back,”

“That’s right,” Catra said, taking a moment to narrow her eyes at Trent. The man gave her a simple, knowing nod, followed by a quick wink. Catra decided right then and there that whatever happened, Trent’s time on Etheria would end soon. As would his life.

The sedan and the Humvee convoy arrived outside a low series of buildings with high-wire fences and towers. The area was surrounded by skyscrapers, and the size and width of its own buildings made it look very out of place.

Catra and Adora got out and approached the buildings. They were escorted by Trent, as well as men in their black gear and weapons. A gate in the fence opened for them, and the girls continued under the watchful eyes of the towers and cameras.

The interior of the main building was another lobby, but this one was white and empty. There was a single desk with a single attendant manning it. The group’s footsteps echoed as they crossed the vast space, the attendant nodding as they passed.

A doorway led to a small room with a glass window on one side. Two more attendants were on the other side of the glass. They pressed a button as the girls and soldiers filed in, activating a speaker. “Strike Force One you are cleared to proceed, please follow all posted procedures,”

“We’ve got to go one at a time,” Trent said, gesturing at the metal door on the far side. “Security procedures and all that. Adora, get on in there,”

Adora turned to Catra, clearly seeking support. Catra tried to give her a small smile, but it faltered. The princess turned and approached the door, waiting as a buzzer sounded. It opened, and after a deep breath, Adora entered. The door closed behind her.

Trent turned to Catra. “Alright, let’s talk turkey,”

“There’s more?” the force captain said, annoyed.

“Oh yes,” Trent said, his voice taking a serious tone. He turned to one of the soldiers and nodded. The man approached, carrying a long metal case. Trent gestured at the floor. The soldier knelt and undid the latches, then opened it. Compressed air seeped out, revealing a long sword with a golden handle. A red, metallic triangle with circuitry rested near the base of the blade.

“Is that,” Catra said, furrowing her brow.

Trent nodded. “Adora’s sword,” He gestured at the soldier, who closed the case, sealing the weapon inside. Trent turned to Catra. “You have to understand that wiping your minds was somewhat of an accident. Our people don’t have that technology, somebody just got lucky with captured Horde tech. This world has individuals with incredible power, and we learned quickly not all of them are suspectable to bullets or bombs. Adora, and to a certain extent you, were supposed to be the answer to these individuals. We assumed as much from watching the show, but our attempts to turn you into perfect soldiers with this world’s technology were clumsy and naïve. Unlike the Netflix series, this Etheria does not forgive failure lightly, and instead of mind-controlled, you got mind-wiped,”

“You _did_ take our memories!” Catra said, anger rising in her.

“Stop,” Trent said, pointing at her. “I expect that righteous indignation crap from Adora, but I need you to be the pragmatist. If you follow orders and take out the Princess Alliance, you get your memories, a powerful position in this city, and Adora. If you fail, you will likely be killed. I’m sorry to say it like that, but it’s true. This city’s rulers don’t forgive failure either. And they certainly don’t give second chances like Hordak did,”

Catra’s mind raced. “I thought you were using the sword to power this city,” she said, her voice low. “Why are you giving it to Adora?”

“We _are_ using it to power the city, and a whole lot more. But we also need those princesses dead. So we’re switching over to nuclear power while we ensure that happens. Listen to me very carefully Catra. That sword is worth more than your life and every other life in City One. You will bring it back, as well as Adora, or you do not have a future anywhere,”

The force captain crossed her arms and held Trent’s gaze, undaunted. “You’ve made my worth very clear. So I give Adora the sword and tell her what, _surprise, go kill princesses_?”

“Adora is not a solider, she’s a weapon. Here are your real orders: you find the princesses, you deliver Adora to their location, and you give her the sword. After that, you immediately fall back and wait until she’s finished, then the team we send you with will help with the retrieval process,”

Catra was shocked, barely concealing it on her face. “Adora’s a weapon? What are you talking about!”

Trent smiled. “Oh isn’t this just _ironic_. We actually learned how to use She-Ra effectively from watching you Catra. Trust me, just follow the orders, and everything will be fine,”

“Even Adora?” Catra shot back. “Because sending her into a nest of rebels doesn’t sound very safe!”

Trent laughed. “Oh, it’s not Adora you need to worry about. Just make sure you get out of her way after you give her the sword, or you might find yourself on the wrong end of it. Understand?” Catra didn’t respond, narrowing her eyes. Trent simply gave her a contemptuous smile. “Careful now, remember your choices,”

Catra glanced away. “Fine,”

The door on the far end of the room buzzed. Trent gestured towards it. “Well, that’s our cue. It’s time for you to suit up. One more thing, this is for you,” The young man extended a small metal case. Catra just stared at it. “At the end of the day you’re just some girl who has combat training, and we’ve got to make up for those lost memories. So inside this case are a bunch of drugs we’ve been cooking up for several years. They’ll make you more focused in battle, and frankly, actually effective in the type of warfare we want you to engage in. Side effects are you’ll have to force yourself to eat and you might not sleep for a couple days. Have fun,”

Catra stared at the case a beat longer, then swiped it from his hands. Gripping the case, she walked towards the door without a word. “Remember!” Trent called after her. “Return with Adora and especially that sword, or you get nothing!” 

The doors opened and Catra entered. The hallway beyond instructed her in a metallic voice to walk, then pause, then walk again. She was sprayed, scanned and finally ordered to strip. A compartment in the side of the hall opened, revealing a new folded black uniform. It was similar to what the city security forces wore. Catra slipped it on, finishing by tugging on heavy combat boots. The boots likely wouldn’t remain on long, as she already felt weighed down by them.

A final door opened, and Catra stepped through. “CATRAAAA!” A voice yelled. Two massive, red arms embraced her and squeezed. The force captain felt herself lifted into the air, then came face-to-face with a young woman with cropped white hair. “Oh my stars, oh my stars!” The woman said, hugging her. “I can’t believe it’s really you. I mean I was hoping it was you, and I said to myself, Scorpia, if it’s really Catra, you have to get a hold of yourself and be professional, but then I saw Adora and was totally unprepared, and then you came through, and whelp, here we are, aaaaand I’m not really getting ahold of myself am I,”

Catra put her feet to the woman’s shelled abdomen and pushed free of her grasp. She backflipped through the air, landing on all fours and hissing. “Who the stars are you!”

The young woman put her large lobster claws to her face as her eyes brimmed with tears. “Okay, okay, it’s alright, they said this would happen, I am totally prepared for this. Deep breaths. Deeeeeppp breaths. Um, well, I’m what I would consider probably your best friend. Uh, and by that, I mean Scorpia,” She clasped her claws behind her back and glanced away as she blushed. “My name is Scorpia, yeah…”

Straightening up, Catra took in the new room. It was full of gear lockers, with the walls covered in guns and uniforms. There were several figures present in black tactical gear. Among them was Adora, who looked overwhelmed as a large lizard and shorter girl, wearing the same black tactical gear as the princess, barraged her with questions. Catra brushed past Scorpia and headed for Adora.

“Oh good,” Scorpia said, itching the back of her head with a claw. “Going straight for Adora. Her mind’s been erased, but I’m so glad…nothing’s changed…”

Catra paused, turning on the taller girl and pointing with a sharp claw. “Do you think you know me?”

“Oh, uh,” Scorpia stumbled over her words. “I mean, I’d like to think I know you, we spent so much time together in the Horde, and I really do feel like we had a connect-”

“Get this in your head,” Catra said, coming up to Scorpia and putting her finger in her face. “A lot of people think they know me, but they don’t know me. You want to know why?”

Scorpia made a pained expression. “Do…I? I feel like you want me to say yes, is that the vibe I’m getting? Or possibly no?”

“The reason nobody knows me is because _I_ don’t know me, got it?”

Scorpia swallowed, then nodded. “Oh yeah Catra, totally got it. We are on the same page!” 

Without another word, Catra turned and stalked over to Adora. “Move,” She said as she neared the lizard and shorter girl. They both glanced at her, their eyes widening.

“Catra!” The shorter girl said. “It’s really you!”

The force captain looked her up and down, then glanced at the lizard. “I said move,” The lizard gazed down at her for a beat, then stepped to the side. Catra walked up to Adora. “Nice uniform,”

“Yeah,” Adora said, glancing down at the tactical belts. “You too I guess,” The princess suddenly remembered they weren’t alone. She gestured at the shorter girl. “Oh, um this is Lonnie,” She then turned to the lizard. “And this is Rogelio. They apparently know…both of us,”

“No they don’t,” Catra said, taking Adora’s hand and pulling her past the lizard and shorter girl. “No one does. Now come on, let’s find our vehicles,”

“Oh!” Adora said, stopping up short. “I need to find Swift-Wind! I haven’t seen him since last night, and I’m worried,”

Trent appeared, adjusting the tie in his suit jacket. He was flanked by two men in body armor, one of them carrying the long metal case with Adora’s sword in it. “You’re amazing unicorn is undergoing surgery,” Trent said. “Because he was shot,”

“By you,” Adora said, narrowing her eyes.

Trent shrugged. “You attacked our wall, we defended it, that’s the beginning and end of the story. But don’t worry, Swift-Wind will be healthy and happy upon your return,”

Adora didn’t seem convinced. “So I’m healed quickly but Swift-Wind needs surgery? You think I’m going to believe that?”

“I think you’ll believe it’s easier to fix up a human than a fucking unicorn. Now stop being difficult and let’s start being team players, huh? This is a very important mission after all,” Adora didn’t respond, narrowing her eyes. “Why don’t we start with your team,” Trent said. “Guys, introduce yourselves,” 

The shorter girl put a hand to her hip. “Lonnie,” She jerked her free thumb at the big lizard. “Rogelio,”

“And I’m Scorpia of course,” The taller woman said, butting in. She waved with a warm smile at Catra. “Hi again,” Catra just rolled her eyes.

“We’ve got you a whole team of ex-Horde soldiers,” Trent said. “These ones will be your team leaders,”

Adora eyed Trent. “Are all of them Horde?”

“Well yeah, but don’t worry, they’re totally good now, we trained them and everything,”

“Great,” Catra said. “Now how about those vehicles,”

Trent nodded at one of the soldiers, who passed the metal case to Scorpia. The young woman seemed to know what it was, taking it with a solemn expression. “So,” Trent said, turning back to the group. “Right this way,”

Adora stared at the metal case, a strange expression on her face. Catra tugged on her sleeve, prompting her to snap out of her concentration. She gave Catra a smile, then they followed the team leaders and Trent.

The group passed through a large metal tunnel into an even larger room. Slim hover-ships bobbed in the air, all of them sleek and metallic. There were at least thirty figures waiting for them near the ships, all wearing black tactical gear and helmets. They saluted as the group approached.

“Alright these things are pretty badass,” Trent said, gesturing at the hover-ships. “But they’re not that great in a fight. We mounted a couple heavy machine guns on them, but really you should ditch them once you reach Blue Eager base. There will be vehicles there, but it’s anyone’s guess whether they’ve mutated or not, so be careful,”

“Got it sir!” Scorpia said, saluting with her free claw. Lonnie and Rogelio nodded.

“I was talking to these two,” Trent said, gesturing at Adora and Catra. “Remember your mission. We want those princesses brought back dead or alive, but make sure you bring proof,” Adora didn’t respond, her gaze lingering on the metal case Scorpia held. Catra simply nodded, acting disinterested.

Twenty minutes later, six hover-ships raced across the hills outside City One. The sun hung high overhead, though storm clouds gathered on the horizon. The hover-ships spread out, bobbing in the air as they headed for a distant tree-line.

Catra rode in one of the two leading ships. Adora rode in the other. The force captain could see the princess from her perch on the prow. Adora also stood at the front of her ship, giving a small wave as their eyes met. Catra turned away, her feelings jumbled.

“Soooo,” A voice said. Catra turned, spotting Scorpia behind her. The tall, armored woman had a massive gun slung over her back, though it didn’t seem to weigh her down.

Catra sniffed. “Oh, it’s you,”

Scorpia put her claws behind her back, glancing up and away. “I know you don’t have any memories, or don’t know who I am, but, well, one of the last times we were together, I don’t know, I said some things, you said some things…” Scorpia gestured with a claw, a sheepish grin on her face. “Things were said is I guess what I’m trying to say?”

“I don’t remember them,” Catra said, turning away and staring out across the prow.

“Nope, right, and I get that, trust me, I just wanted to say that…if and when you _do_ get your memories back, maybe we could revisit that conversation?” Scorpia blushed, waving her claws. “Not that there’s any pressure or anything, I know you’ve got a lot going on, and there were definitely hard feelings after you got replaced as force captain,”

Catra turned on her. “I got replaced? Entrapta said I was a force captain in the horde!”

“ooooohhh, yeah,” Scorpia said, itching the back of her head with a claw. “Entrapta…yeah. No. She was lying. Probably about a lot, actually.”

“She was _what_.”

Scorpia shrugged, the sheepish smile returning. “Honestly I didn’t think she had it in her to lie, or maybe she’s blocking out what happened, who can say really!” The young woman let out a nervous laugh, but it quickly faded. “Anyways, I feel like maybe we’re getting off topic? I just wanted-”

“That little…” Catra said, gritting her teeth. She was beginning to realize something. Both anger and frustration, they were such familiar emotions. They came so quickly, Catra knew she felt them often before her memories had been taken.

“Okay I know you’re mad but let me explain what happened-”

Catra faced away from her, hugging her knees to her chin. “Later, I need to be alone,”

“Oh. Right. Yeah, of course. Well, I’ll just be a couple feet back, you know, because it’s a small ship and everyt-”

“Leave,” Catra said, burying her face in her knees.

“Yup, going right now, going rightttt, over here,”

Catra couldn’t believe it. _Former_ force captain, what a joke. She was a joke. Just when she was beginning to think she might have a place in this world, now Catra had to consider she might not be capable enough to do anything.

And then there was that _sword_. Catra refused to believe Adora was a weapon. She was a kind, strong, passionate person who made the short-furred girl feel not as crappy about herself. And Catra was just supposed to arm her and run? It didn’t make any sense…

The line of hover-ships entered the forest as Catra’s thoughts swirled. The convoy was bathed in the shadow of the canopy, and the eerie silence that followed. It only took ten minutes of traveling through the trees for them to encounter disaster.

It came in the form of a shrieking rocket. It glanced off the side of the hover-ship on the far end, exploding and taking down two of the crafts. They slammed into the ground, splintering as they spun. Catra jumped up looked around wildly.

Ahead of them were dark figures, and even larger shapes obscured in shadow. “We’re under attack!” Catra yelled.

“Scatter and strafe!” Lonnie yelled into a communicator.

In response, the remaining craft split into two groups riding off in opposite directions. The security forces opened fire with the heavy-machine guns, filling the forest with thunderous noise. Catra grabbed her rifle hanging from her shoulder and brought it up. She only had a moment to take aim before she saw a rocket streaking towards her ship.

“CATRA!” Scorpia yelled, tackling her off the prow. The ship exploded as they fell, the shockwave throwing them across the forest floor. Scorpia hugged her tightly, protecting her from flaming debris as they rolled to a stop. “Oh my stars!” The young woman said, holding her tight. “Oh my stars are you alright Catra!”

“I’m fine!” Catra yelled, pushing her away. She stood, then ducked as bullets whizzed overhead. The cat girl fumbled with her rifle as she brought it to her shoulder, then took aim.

In the distance, the underbrush lit up with gunfire. Hot metal whipped through the air, tearing up plants and sending bark flying. Catra squeezed her trigger, shooting off a couple rounds and then slinging the rifle back around. “Cover me!”

“Got it!” Scorpia said, getting to her feet and unslinging her massive gun. She hooked a claw into a large trigger and pulled. The barrel of her gun spun, then unleashed the loudest noise Catra had heard yet. Bullets poured from the spinning barrel as Scorpia yelled. “AAAAHHHHHH TAKE THIS YOU-YOU WHATEVER YOU ARE!”

Catra ripped off her boots and slipped her pill-case from one of her pockets. She stared at it for a second, then tore it open and inspected the contents. At least twenty red capsules were lined up within. Her hand hovered over one. Scorpia’s words came unbidden to her mind. _Former force captain_. Catra took the pill and popped it in her mouth, then pocketed the case.

She scampered up a tree, reaching the branches and running along them. She jumped to the next tree, then the next. Bullets flew past, chipping the bark near her head. Catra pressed herself against the trunk, taking a deep breath. Her mind was already clearing, and her blood pumped. Catra spun out and squeezed off several shots.

She saw the enemy line was only a few more trees away. She fired again, then spun around and took off along a branch. The sound of Scorpia’s gunfire continued, as did the continuous shredding of plants and tree trunks. Catra leapt to the next tree, and then the next. The attackers seemed to have lost her, as no more bullets found their way up into the canopy.

Pausing next to a large trunk, Catra got her bearings. She was now right over the enemy line. The sound of their gunfire and yells was deafening. Catra could also make out the larger shapes now. They were armored vehicles, but all of them had sprouted limbs and fang-lined mouths. One of them exploded near her tree, shaking the trunk as metal imbedded in the other side. Catra gripped the bark with her claws, waiting for the shockwave to subside. Time seemed to slow around her as she felt her heart beat in her chest.

Once the tree stopped swaying, Catra unslung her rifle and took aim. She emptied her entire clip, then reloaded and fired again. When she finished, she dropped down from the branches with her claws extended.

The soldiers were just looking up as she fell. They were not like the skull-men she had first met. These soldiers looked sick, with green, gaunt faces, and hollow-looking eyes. Catra landed on one, dragging her claws into him and then leaping to the next.

Bullets whizzed past her, one nicking her ear. Catra barely felt it as the drug fueled the savagery of her claws. She moved from soldier to soldier, her feet digging into the earth and propelling her forward. Catra lost herself to the movements and rhythm, only stopping as one of the vehicle-monsters reared up before her.

An explosion split it in half, as well as sending Catra backwards. She quickly got to her feet. The lizard Rogelio approached with a rocket-launcher, flanked by a dozen allied soldiers. They paused to open fire, then kept moving.

Catra spun back to the enemy line. Most of them had broken and run. Now that the gunfire had died down, she could hear thunder in the distance. A few more sporadic shots were heard, then silence descended on the forest. 

Blood pumped through Catra’s entire body, her muscles tense. Her shoulders heaved as her breath came out forcefully. She studied the jungle, searching for any remaining enemies. A sudden thought caused her to spin. “Adora!”

“Catra!” Scorpia yelled, jogging up to her as she gripped her massive gun. “Oh thank the stars you made it through there unhur-Oh no your ear! You’re bleeding!”

“Where’s Adora!” Catra yelled, spinning.

“Uhhh, right, well,” Scorpia said, looking dejected. “I’m fine, thank you for asking. I’ll let you…get looking, and I’ll…go find that metal case, with the…well you know what’s in there-”

Catra took off on all fours through the jungle. If she lost Adora, it was over. The mission wouldn’t succeed, and the city would never let her back inside. But worst of all, Catra would be truly, utterly alone.

She spied a flash of yellow and turned abruptly. Catra reared up, coming face-to-face with Adora. The princess was with a group of ex-horde soldiers. She looked tired, but perked up as she recognized the short-furred girl. “Catra!” Catra surprised her by huging her, tightly. Adora stiffened, then relaxed, letting the gun she held slip out of her grasp. Her hands rose and she returned the hug, resting her head on Catra’s shoulder. “That…was a lot,”

Catra’s heart still raced a mile a minute, but she felt herself calming. “It’s…fine now,” Catra said, hesitantly raising a hand up. She wanted to stroke Adora’s hair, to comfort her. Catra noticed her claws were stained with blood. Both her hands slowly lowered to her side, though Adora continued to hug her.

“I hate this,” Adora said, squeezing her eyes tightly. “I hate killing people like this. This doesn’t feel right,”

“C’mon,” Catra said, breaking away from her hug. “Let’s get moving, I can smell rain,”

Adora looked up, then furrowed her brow. “Oh, you’re bleeding,”

“It’s fine,”

“No, it’s not fine, come here and let me wrap it,”

Catra tore a strip from her own sleeve, balled it up, and pressed it to her wound. She winced at the pain, but quickly recovered. “I’ll be fine, don’t worry about me,”

“Well,” Adora said, putting her hands to her hips and looking concerned. “I am worried. You’re important to me, remember? We're doing this together,”

Rain started to fall through the trees. The soft sound of it hitting the dirt grew to a steady downpour as the two girls stared at each other.

“Catraaa!” A voice yelled. The short-furred girl broke away from Adora’s gaze, spotting Scorpia approaching with the rest of the surviving city soldiers. She held the metal case in one claw. “This is everyone left!”

Catra’s regarded the metal case for a moment, feeling a shudder run down her tail. She felt a hand on her shoulder. “You’re right,” Adora said, coming up beside her with a smile. “This rain will make for good cover, I think. We should get going now. And when we make camp, I’m tending to that ear,”

The princess started off, walking towards Scorpia. After watching her a moment, Catra took a deep breath and followed.


	9. The Choices We're Given

_The following is not an accusation against the United States, but an attempt to convince friends of mine to stop buying a product readily consumed in this country. The products are part of the largest food company in the world, and that company’s name is Nestle. The following is a list of crimes committed by America’s favorite chocolate producer. Although again, I will remind readers for this particular example, Nestle is a shame belonging to the Swiss._

_Wolf Blitzer’s list of known crimes committed by Nestle:_

_-Undertook a massive advertising campaign to convince women, primarily in African markets, to stop breastfeeding. This was done so that Nestle could sell more powdered baby milk. The powered milk turned out to be unsafe, and infant mortality rates predictably rose in the affected areas._

_-Bribed government officials so they could buy water rights belonging to indigenous people who didn’t consent to the sale. Nestle then turned around and charged the indigenous people for access, as well as surrounding communities._

_-Started a large campaign claiming to be one of the largest recyclers of their own plastic water bottles. After being sued, it was revealed they did not, in fact, recycle any plastic water bottles._

_-Used slave labor in Thailand to bring in enough fish for its Purina cat food brand (no, I am not joking)_

_-Purchased thousands of acres of rainforest in the Ivory Coast and Ghana, then destroyed it all to make chocolate in the most damaging way possible._

_There’s more but honestly Sharon and Dave I assume this is enough to at least give you pause the next time you visit the grocery store. I understand ethical consumption is nearly impossible under the current model, but for the love of God do not buy from Nestle anymore._

Rain fell steadily through the forest, rolling off leaves and giving rise to a small humid mist along the ground. Catra’s claws pressed into the soft earth as she walked. She didn’t mind the rain so much, but the heavy patter was beginning to add to her dark thoughts.

_Together_

That’s how she had told Adora that were going to get through this. That’s what Adora believed. That they were in this together, because they were alone. Except they were enemies at one time, and everyone around them had an idea of what they should be now.

So what did Catra _herself_ want to be? She wanted to be left alone. She wanted room to grow and figure herself out. But all around her was violence, and people acting for reasons she didn’t understand. So maybe for Catra to get what she wanted, she had to imitate the violence. It felt right, after all, and came to her naturally. It got _results_. But who would pay the price?

It increasingly seemed like the answer was Adora. And that made Catra _sick_.

These thoughts raced through her mind as she pushed aside a branch. She ducked under another, brushing back the wet fur on her head. There was no doubt the drug she’d taken was forcing these thoughts to the forefront of her mind. She couldn’t stop thinking if she wanted to.

Catra also felt very, very thirsty. She paused by a tree, glancing down to look for her canteen. It, as well as a section of her utility belt, was missing. Likely lost during the recent firefight. Catra reached for a large leaf. It dipped in the center, holding a small pool of water. Catra tried to angle it towards her mouth, lapping at the water as it slid down. Most of it just splashed her face.

“Oh, uh, here,” A voice said. Catra glanced and saw Scorpia standing nearby. The taller woman held a canteen awkwardly in her claw, with her other gripping the metal case. Catra regarded the case, then slowly took the canteen. She unscrewed the lid and took a deep drink before passing it back.

“Thanks,” She said, wiping her mouth.

“Ha, yeah,” Scorpia said, blushing. “No…no problem,”

Catra nodded at the metal case. “You know what’s in there?”

Scorpia adopted a serious expression. “Absolutely, it’s integral to the mission, and I am in charge of it. So don’t you worry Catra, I _won’t_ let you down,”

“You knew me,” Catra said, walking past her. After a beat, Scorpia followed.

“Oh yeah,” She said, itching behind her head with a claw. “I um, I knew you. A lot. Spent a…lotttaaa time together. Yup,” Scorpia stopped itching her head and waved the claw sheepishly. “But, you know, you said nobody knows you! I certainly wouldn’t assume to know you! Especially if you didn’t want me to know you! Or maybe…you want to let me know you? Again?” Scorpia laughed nervously. “I gotta say, this is really confusing!” Catra didn’t say anything, continuing to push her way through the underbrush and rain. Scorpia paused for a moment, watching her. “...yeah,”

Catra swatted at a swarm of bugs. “So what, you were like my friend or something?”

“Oh yeah,” Scorpia said, catching up to her and beaming. “Well, you were a fellow force captain for awhile there, obviously. And you were very focused on your career! So, we didn’t really…hang out a lot…except for those couple, absolutely amazing times. But I sure would have liked to have hung out more!”

Catra held her hand and broke away a branch in her way. “So what was I like then,”

“Oh!” Scorpia said, surprised. She walked in silence for a few moments, then rushed ahead and broke away a branch for Catra. The short-furred girl nodded in thanks, and Scorpia seemed pleased. “Well, you were dedicated, and smart, and talented, and driven, and, did I already say dedicated?”

“You did,” Catra said, her voice seemingly disinterested.

“Well you were!”

Catra started climbing a ridge thick with trees. She could make out Adora and the other security soldiers ahead of her, their movements blurry in the steady rain. “So why was I so dedicated?” She paused, trying to form her thoughts. Her mind raced, and she wanted to start unleashing questions. Catra resisted however. The feeling of the crowd shouting at her in City One somehow made her less inclined to open up to people.

“Oh, uh, wow, you’re really asking me that, huh? Well I’m honored you think I knew you that well, and I’d like to think I did...” Scorpia seemed both uncertain, and eager to please. “I would say that maybe you were under a lot of pressure from Hordak, and you really wanted to be force captain…? Does that sound right?”

“Nothing sounds right,” Catra said, furrowing her brow in irritation. It wasn’t directed at Scorpia. More to herself. “And the Horde destroyed things just like the star-stripes? Killed people? Conquered?”

“Well…yeah!”

Catra took a deep breath, pausing by a tree. She glanced back at Scorpia, who had fallen a few steps behind. “And I was okay with that? And you too?”

“I mean,” Scorpia itched her arm with her free claw. “When you say it like _that_ , it sounds kind of bad. But you know…” The young woman shrugged sheepishly. “Life’s complicated?”

Catra felt the bark of the tree she was next to. “And I just…did these things. Without doubting myself. I killed and conquered and never even hesitated…”

“Again,” Scorpia said, holding up a claw. “I feel like you’re being a little hard on yourself when you phrase it like that-”

“But it’s true, isn’t it??” Catra said, turning on her. Scorpia’s eyes went wide, clearly surprised. The short-furred girl gestured. “I commanded soldiers and did terrible things? Just like the star-stripes and the city people? I was an enemy of the princesses,” She grit her teeth. “And I didn’t hesitate to hurt people? Is that right?”

“I’m sorry,” Scorpia said, desperately trying to keep up. “Are you mad at me? I feel like you’re mad at me,”

Catra buried her face in her hands. “I’m trying to figure out who I am, and the more I find out, the less I like myself. Everything I’ve seen of the star-stripes and City One, it’s…” She grit her teeth even harder. “The worst…but they’re offering me everything! I should be able to just take it! It shouldn’t be a problem!” She lifted her face and punched the tree. “So why do I feel like I hate everything about this!”

Scorpia was silent, a pained look on her face. A voice drifted down from the top of the ridge. “Caaattttrraaa,”

It was Adora.

“We’re coming!” Catra shouted back up. She started up the ridge.

“Well,” Scorpia began, hesitating. “I feel like…maybe, a large part of your past might involve…well you _did_ grow up together,”

Catra glanced back at her. “Who.”

Scorpia hastened to catch up. “Adora, she was…um, well you guys were best friends at one time,”

Her heart stopped in her chest as her eyes went wide. “What…?”

“Oh yeah!” Scorpia said, laughing nervously again. “You guys were…quite the pair…from what I understand. And then, you know…” She gestured with a claw. “Adora left, and I don’t think you took that very well, and-”

“My best friend…” Catra repeated, staring down at the ground in shock. “She...wait, she was a part of the Horde?”

“Uh huh,” Scorpia said, walking up the ridge and prompting Catra to follow.

“Entrapta didn’t tell me any of that!”

“Weeelllll, you know Entrapta. Ha! Or maybe you don’t! Gosh this is all so confusing…”

“And she…left me?”

Scorpia cleared her throat, not turning back as she trudged. “I mean, you knowww,” She pointed to one side. “She was She-Raaaaa,” Her claw moved to the other side. “You thought that was duuuumb…but some things happened recently, before the star-stripes arrived…”

Scorpia’s voice trailed off as they reached the top of the ridge. Adora and the city soldiers waited. Catra’s mind reeled as she processed the information. “Took you guys long enough,” Adora said, crossing her arms with a slightly teasing smile. Catra didn’t respond, simply looking at her in a drug-fueled daze. “Oh,” Adora said. “Your ear, Catra you don’t look so well,”

Catra’s hand found her ear. It felt very damp, and not just from the rain. “Yeah I wanted to say something,” Scorpia said. “These darn claws are so clumsy though, really wish I could wrap that up for you,”

“Let’s make camp,” Adora said, nodding with serious expression on her face. “We found a spot further along the ridge that should be good,”

Catra didn’t respond, then noticed both Adora and Scorpia were staring at her. She cleared her throat. “Yeah..,yeah that’s fine,”

The group walked along the top of the ridge in a line. The rain ended, a windy chill replacing the humidity. Trees covered every available space as they walked, until they reached a small clearing with a ruined tower. Stones littered the ground around it, most submerged into the dirt from the passage of time. Lonnie clapped her hands, pointing out several soldiers. “Let’s go! I want a base camp set up in ten minutes, and patrols another two after that! Berson, Marrow, you’re on first watch!”

“Wow,” Adora said, raising an eyebrow. “You’re good,”

“Thanks,” Lonnie said, her hands on her hip as she watched the soldiers move. “I’ve had some practice,”

Adora’s stomach growled, prompting her to put a hand to it. “Guess I’m hungry!” She laughed.

“Once we make camp we’ll eat in shifts,” Lonnie said, still watching the soldiers. Rogelio came up beside her, watching with his arms crossed.

Catra remained silent, still staring at the ground. She felt Adora approach her. “Hey,” The princess said, her voice soft. “Can I look at your ear?”

“You’re looking at it,” Catra said, glancing away.

Adora snorted, taking her sleeve. “C’mon,” She said, dragging her towards the tower. “Let’s go. Lonnie? Do you have bandages?”

Lonnie cupped a hand to her mouth. “Utren! Front and center!” A solder ran up, stopping before her and throwing a salute. “Give me your medkit,” The soldier nodded, taking a pack hanging from his belt. Lonnie took it and tossed it to Adora. “You remember how to use that thing?”

Adora unzipped the pack, peering inside. “Oh yeah,” She said, giving Lonnie a grin. “How could I mess this up?” Lonnie just raised an eyebrow, then went back to watching the soldiers.

Tents rose around them as Adora walked Catra towards the ruined entrance of the tower. She motioned for her to sit, which Catra did reluctantly. Adora climbed up two steps and sat behind her, setting the medkit to the side. She rooted around in it, retrieving some gauze and a tube. “Let’s see,” Adora said. “This says it can clean wounds, so we’ll start with that,”

“whatever,” Catra said, hugging her knees and resting her chin on top. She felt Adora’s hand on her ear, which twitched in response. Adora tried to touch it again, and Catra’s ear twitched a second time. Adora laughed. 

“Hold still!”

“It’s not my fault,” Catra said, burying her face in her knees to hide her burning cheeks. Adora tried again, this time gently grasping her ear and applying a cool gel. Catra hissed. “That stings!”

She felt Adora nod. “Mhm-hm, that’s good. The whole tip of your ear is missing, by the way,”

“It’ll grow back,”

“ _Will_ it?” Adora said, clearly skeptical.

Catra took a deep breath, exhaling slowly. “Just wrap it, please,”

She felt nothing but the sting of the gel, then a hand on her shoulder. “Hey, what’s wrong?”

“Did you know,” Catra began, her voice faltering. She tried again. “Did you know we used to be best friends?”

“Really?” Adora said, confused. “I thought we were enemies?”

Catra let her chin sink back to her knees. “We were both,”

“Oh…well, I knew I had a connection with you!”

“Did you miss the part where we became enemies,” Catra said, gritting her teeth. “Or the implication that you were once part of the Horde!”

Adora laughed, but it died. She was silent for a bit. “Well, we always knew that. Not that I was a part of the Horde, but that we were enemies…but we’ve made it work so far, right? Hold on, I’m going to start wrapping,” Catra felt the gauze circling her ear, then felt the princess gently tighten it. She continued layering the gauze, pausing to retrieve a pair of scissors from the kit. Adora snipped the roll, then finished wrapping. “There, I think that’s how you do that,”

She put the gauze and gel in the kit, then scooted down to the step Catra sat on. Adora settled beside her, clasping her hands on her knees and gazing out at the soldiers. The tents were almost raised. Several armored figures ran up the steps, prompting Adora and Catra to lean to the side to let them pass. The soldiers entered the tower, their footsteps echoing as they started up a staircase.

“So best friends huh,” Adora said, still gazing out at the camp. “Wonder what that was like…” Catra took deep breaths, feeling the drugs coursing through her. When would she stop feeling its intense effects? Adora shifted next to her. “Well, we can figure it all out when we get our memories back,”

“Yeah,” Catra said, her tone sullen. “Sure,”

Scorpia approached with a large bag, waving as she neared. “Hey guys! Just thought I’d bring some food over, since you know, we’re setting up camp and eating now. Hey you guys like cashews?” She checked inside the large bag, her face falling. “Oh yeah, we don’t actually have any cashews,” She reached in her claw, spearing a silver box and bringing it out. “But we’ve got these interesting MRE rations!” Her arm slowly sank, a frown on her face. “They don’t…taste very good though,”

Adora groaned. “I recognize those, I was hoping to try something different,”

“Yeahh, well,” Scorpia shrugged, coming to sit a few steps below them. “That’s all we got!” She seemed to have trouble sitting, checking beneath her before she settled. She then passed up two packs, ripping into the third. “Oh boy! Cashews!”

Catra stared at her box. She slowly opened it with a nail, inspecting the contents. She didn’t feel hungry, and set it to the side. “Are you not eating?” Adora said, a worried expression on her face. “We haven’t since…stars, almost a whole day!”

The box waited beside her, but Catra simply turned up her nose. Trent the dead man had said she would have trouble eating. She slowly reached out, taking a handful of cashews and sniffing them. She glanced at Adora, who still wore a worried expression, then noticed Scorpia staring at her as well. The armored woman looked just as worried.

“Oh stop it both of you!” Catra said, turning away and stuffing her mouth. She chewed with her arms crossed, irritated.

“So you’re Scorpia, right?” Adora said, unwrapping a protein bar.

Scorpia beamed. “Yup! That’s me! Glad to meet you again, and as allies! Wow, life is crazy!”

Adora laughed. “I’m the last person you need to tell that, I’m guessing we…” Adora’s brow furrowed. “Were in the Horde together? Or fought?”

“Yeahhhhh,” Scorpia said, glancing up and away. “You could say that,”

“We fought you all the time,” Lonnie said, appearing with the lizard Rogelio. She sat heavily on the steps, holding out her hand to Scorpia. The armored woman passed her an MRE, then dug out another one for Rogelio. “And grew up with you,” Lonnie continued, opening her pack. “And trained with you. We were even friends before you left us,”

“But that’s all in the past now!” Scorpia said, trying to defuse the situation with a wave of her claws. “We’re all friends! Working together like a team!”

Lonnie’s face grew dark. “Except Kyle,” Rogelio stared down at his meal, his expression equally dark.

“Kyle?” Adora said, puzzled.

“You don’t remember him?” Ronnie said, looking disappointed, but not surprised. “You either, huh Catra?” The short-furred girl simply shook her head. Lonnie nodded, almost to herself. “He died when the amarakans attacked the Fright Zone. Crushed by a building,” The lizard Rogelio curled his claw into a fist, closing his eyes.

“You mean the star-stripes…?” Adora said, still clearly puzzled. “But they’re like the city people, aren’t they? And you’re working for them now?”

“Of course we are!” Lonnie said, turning on the step to face Adora. Her expression was hurt. “We didn’t have a choice! You think I wanted to join their military, and get stared at like a piece of exotic meat? You think Rogelio here wanted to be treated like a freak every day since the Horde fell? You think Scorpia wanted her tail cut off!”

Scorpia’s head fell, as did her voice. “Nope…didn’t…particularly want that to happen,”

“You had a tail?” Adora said, a look of horror on her face. “And they…”

“Yeahhhh,” Scropia said, itching her neck with an embarrassed expression. “It was my fault really, I bumped into a lot of things, and people got angry at me. And they _did_ warn me. They said, _Scorpia, if you touch me with that fucking ugly-ass tail one more time I swear to god we’ll cut it off_.” She shrugged, still embarrassed. “And boy they uh…they were not lying, let me tell you!” She laughed, but it trailed off.

Lonnie glared at Adora. “The amarakans won, we lost. We were given a choice, join, or be hunted from the sky forever. Because up there is their domain, and everyone below is just prey,” 

Adora’s expression grew horrified. “That’s…awful!”

Catra felt the same way, but she couldn’t allow the princess to turn on the city. Not when they held their memories. “You’re making such a big fuss,” Catra said, her voice low. “We were all part of the Horde, we did the same things,”

Lonnie stood, narrowing her eyes at Catra. “You have _no idea_ what you’re talking about, and if you did, you would have kept your mouth shut,”

It was Catra’s turn to narrow her eyes. “Keep talking and I’ll shut yours,”

“OKAY HAHA!” Scorpia said, standing. She patted her stomach. “Hmmm, wasn’t that delicious, we don’t we stir up a nice campfire and tell some stories? Huh? Guys?” Lonnie turned and walked away. Rogelio quickly stood and followed. Catra stood as well and walked up into the tower. “Well okay!” Scorpia called after her. “I guess, um, I’ll just…patrol?”

Catra took a deep breath, sitting heavily near the far wall. Time ticked on, then she heard footsteps. Adora appeared, holding two rolled up bags. “hey,” she said, slowly sitting down next to her. “I talked with Lonnie a bit,”

The short-furred girl snorted. “Oh yeah? She keep telling you how awful everything is? That we’re working for awful people?”

“I mean…” Adora tilted her head as she glanced into the shadows of the tower. “They do sound like awful people,”

“They’re the _only_ people Adora, besides the even-worse princesses,” Catra turned to her, staring intently. “That city is where everyone is now, and not only that, they’ve offered to give us everything we could ever want!”

Adora looked conflicted. She slid one of the rolled-up packs to Catra, then hugged hers. “I don’t know, I’m starting to think maybe it’s not worth it, to do what they’re asking,”

Catra wanted to yell at Adora. She also wanted to break into tears. There was a lot of things she wanted to do, but all she could manage was digging her claws into the pack. “I,” Catra began.

Adora slid over to her, surprising Catra with her movement. The princess settled back against the wall, staring straight ahead with the same conflicted expression. After a few tense moments, Adora hesitantly rested her head on Catra’s shoulder, then closed her eyes. “You said I was so confident with my feelings, but…I’m not anymore. I keep thinking I know what’s right, but everything keeps changing so quickly! Not to mention I was a part of the Horde, which I haven’t even processed yet…but you. Ever since we reached that city, _you’ve_ been the one moving forward. You have a goal, you know just what to do. And…I want to be like you so badly,” Adora shook her head, pressing it into Catra’s shoulder. “I just don’t know how,”

Anger surged through Catra, followed by shame. She wasn’t confident at all. Just the opposite in fact. “I just want to know who I am,” Catra murmured.

“And you’ve stayed with me, this whole time, despite that,” Adora continued pressing her head into Catra’s shoulder. “thank you,”

Catra frowned miserably. “Don’t,” She said, her voice choking. “d-don’t thank me, you…you don’t even know…who I am,” Her hand rose up, hovering over Adora’s back.

“Let’s find out together,” Adora said, squeezing her eyes shut. “Promise me, promise me we’ll find out together, like you said. And…” Adora shook her head, her eyes still closed. “And that we’ll save everyone we can! Please! I can’t stand to see things like this!” Seemingly on their own, Catra’s arms encircled Adora and held her. “promise,” Adora whispered.

“I…” Catra began. She drew Adora close, hugging her tightly. “I…promise,”

Adora didn’t respond, remaining in Catra’s arms. The two girls were silent as the rain started up outside the tower. After awhile, Catra felt Adora’s breathing slow. She was asleep. The short-furred girl continued to hold her, the drugs keeping her awake and alert.

Hours passed as torturous thoughts plagued Catra. She was Horde. She was a killer. She wasn’t a hero. She hunted princesses.

And yet…she hadn’t felt happy working for the star-stripes, or the city people. She didn’t feel happy when she was killing, or hurting people. She didn’t feel happy when she thought about her mission.

Catra felt happy when Adora was happy. She felt undaunted when the princess was close. Right now, with Adora sleeping in her arms, she felt a missing piece returning to her. It was one of the best feelings she’d ever experienced. Followed quickly by the anger at what she had been ordered to do.

“Hey,” A curt voice said. Catra looked up, spotting Lonnie entering the tower.

“Oh, it’s you,”

“We all pull our weight around her,” Lonnie said, stopping and crossing her arms. “Even former force captains and princesses. You two can patrol together if you want, but the next hour is yours,”

Catra looked down at Adora, who was still sleeping in her arms. She carefully extracted herself from the princess, laying her gently on the stone surface. Catra stood, brushing at herself. “I’ll patrol, Adora can sleep,”

Lonnie seemed confused, then disgusted. “Whatever, let her sleep, see if I care,” Catra crossed the tower interior, pausing by Lonnie in the entrance. “You’ve changed,” Lonnie said, regarding Adora’s sleeping form with a raised chin. “And more than just losing your memories,” Her voice lowered. “You sure we can count on you for this mission?”

Catra gave a contemptuous snort. “I thought you hated the city,”

“You weren’t listening,” Lonnie said, turning to Catra with a hateful gaze. “They gave the choice to all of us. Even you. And you choose, same as us. So get off your fucking high horse, because if you mess this up, you mess it up for _all of us,_ ”

Sniffing, Catra tried to act disinterested. “Don’t worry about me, worry about yourself. I’ll do what needs to be done,” She walked towards the exit to the tower, reaching the stairs.

“Make sure you do,” Lonnie said, watching her go.

Catra walked across the camp as calmly as she could. When she reached the perimeter, she got on all fours and took off. Dirt flew up around her as her claws dug into the earth. The drug still coursed through her body, driving her onward. She scaled a tree, reaching the top and pausing. Catra took a deep breath, then gripped a branch and leaned away from the trunk.

She hung there, gazing out over the woods. Night had already fallen, and now stars twinkled brightly above. Catra let the smells of the forest reach her nostrils, then she took off along a branch.

For an hour she circled the camp in the trees. There were few birds, their lonely calls echoing among the forest below the ridge. Catra jumped from branch to branch, only pausing to sweep the woods and sky. When she felt her shift was done, she dropped down and re-entered the camp. Rogelio was still up, leaning against a large stone. He watched her as she made her way through the camp. Catra ignored the tall lizard, heading straight for the tower.

Adora was still asleep inside. She lay on the floor, sometimes shivering as the chill air seeped in. Catra stood over her, watching Adora lightly snore. The short-furred girl bent down, untying the two sleeping bags, then unzipping them. She laid them over Adora like blankets, then settled down next to her. The princess mumbled in her sleep, rolling over to Catra and clumsily wrapping her arms around her. Adora looked like she was about to wake up, but settled back into sleep instead.

Catra stared down at her. Slowly, every so slowly, she held the princess to her. Catra wouldn’t sleep that night, she could already tell. But she was okay with that. As Catra stared down at Adora’s rising and falling chest, her blonde hair trailing over her body, and her face, relaxed as she slumbered, she knew that she was happy.

And Catra also knew, more than anything else, that it wouldn’t last. 


	10. Be Careful What You Wish For

Distant birdcalls heralded sunrise. Catra listened to them as Adora shifted in her arms. The princess mumbled something, then slowly opened her eyes. She glanced up, seeing Catra and giving her a sleepy smile. The cat girl returned it with a small, tired smile of her own.

“Did you sleep?” Adora said, rubbing her eyes as she slowly sat up.

“A little,” Catra lied. The drug was wearing off, but there would be no sleeping now.

Adora nodded, then straightened up and popped her back. “oof, I needed that, sleeping on the floor is awful,” She stood, then helped Catra up. The former force captain stretched, her muscles aching from the activities of the previous day. A loud gurgle emitted from Catra’s stomach, prompting a raised eyebrow from Adora. “That’s what you get for barely eating,” She said, smiling. “C’mon, let’s go find Lonnie and the others, we’ll get you something more than cashews,”

Catra followed Adora towards the entrance to the tower. They emerged into sunlight, causing both girls to shield their eyes. Blinking, Catra looked around. The city soldiers were tearing down their tents and gathering supplies. Scorpia, as well as Lonnie and Rogelio, supervised near the center. The armored woman’s face lit up as she saw them approaching. She gripped the metal case in one claw, and had her gun slung across her back.

“Catra! Hey! Good morning!” Scorpia nodded at Adora. “You too of course Princess Adora, wouldn’t forget you!”

“What’s the plan,” Catra said, her voice sullen. She was beginning to feel fatigued. “We’ve got eighty thousand miles of forest to cover,”

Lonnie gestured over at a stack of metal boxes. They were all open, with small, empty slots inside. “We let loose Horde bots last night, which gives us an expanding surveillance net,” Rogelio gestured with a tablet he held. It displayed a hundred small screens, all of them moving. “If there’s movement,” Lonnie continued. “We’ll know,”

“Are we staying here?” Adora said.

Shaking her head, Lonnie crossed her arms. “I’m leaving two soldiers here for when the bots return so we can collect them. We’ll be heading further in, towards Bright Moon,”

“We’re figuring that uh,” Scorpia motioned with her claw. “That they’re all hiding in the ruins. But we don’t _actually_ know that, it’s just a guess,”

“It’s a good hiding place,” Lonnie said. “Despite how obvious it is. There’s miles of ruins and tunnels they could be using, and the amarakans won’t approach it anymore,”

Adora looked puzzled. “Why?”

“Oooohhh, yeah, they change real quick,” Scorpia said, nodding knowingly. “I once saw a man take a step past the boundaries and he…” She impersonated someone choking. “Completely lost it haha! Then he shot a whole bunch of our squad,” Scorpia’s expression faltered. “That was a bad day, actually,”

Catra processed this information, her tail swishing behind her. “Well then,” She said. “What are we waiting for,”

The group headed out once the soldiers finished packing up camp. It was a silent trek, with a small handful leading, and the rest following in a single file line. Catra could feel a tension in the air, the type of anticipation that grips warriors whenever they know conflict is approaching. She felt it too. Her hand often strayed to the metal pill case in her pack, almost as if for comfort.

As the sun rose, Scorpia passed out MRE’s. Catra felt hungrier than she had the day before, and ate with the rest as they walked. No one felt comfortable stopping. Not yet.

Noon brought with it a humid heat that seemed to weigh down the leaves and branches of the forest. Catra continuously wiped her brow free of sweat as the soldiers fought their way through the underbrush. After crossing a winding ravine, Lonnie held up her fist, signaling everyone to stop. She turned, nodding at Catra, Adora and the others.

“This is the edge of Bright Moon,” She said, her voice low. “Rogelio?”

The lizard showed her the screen of his tablet. “Nothing from the bots,” He said, his voice surprisingly soft.

Lonnie nodded. “That’s it then, we’ll make our way towards the castle. If we don’t encounter the princesses there-”

A soldier cried out, interrupting the shorter girl. Something in the air shimmered, then a figure appeared, knocking down another soldier with a staff. A moment later the figure disappeared.

“We’re under attack!” Scorpia yelled, dropping the metal sword case and unslinging her gun.

“It’s Glimmer!” Lonnie yelled. “Spread out and don’t catch each other in crossfire!”

The figure appeared in front of Catra, catching the former force captain across the face with her staff. Catra rocked back, hitting the ground and knocking herself senseless. The sound of gunfire started up as Catra lay there. Gripping her face, she stumbled trying to stand. A cold wind blew past her, soldiers crying out in surprise.

Catra’s hand strayed to the pill case as a torrent of water impacted into the ground nearby. Soldiers flew into the air, where they were caught by a wall of ice that froze them in place. Narrowing her eyes, Catra tore open the case and threw a pill in her mouth. Her claws shot out as she sought an enemy.

She spied one, a young girl in a heavy winter coat. The coat looked out of place in the hot forest, but the girl wearing it also wore a serious expression. She raised her hands, shooting out two streams of ice. Catra fell on all fours as she took off along the ground.

The girl’s eyes went wide as she neared. A figure materialized in front of the girl, protecting her. It was the one called Glimmer, wielding her staff. She swung it at Catra, but this time the short-furred girl was ready. She ducked into a slide tackle, skidding across the ground and taking out Glimmer. Catra rose, her claw ready to strike a lethal blow. Before she could, an arrow caught her in the shoulder, exploding into a net. She was ensnared as she hit the ground.

Adora charged in, her gun missing and a knife in her hand. “HIIII-YA!” She yelled, swiping at Glimmer.

“Adora!” The girl yelled, jumping back. “It’s me!”

The princess didn’t heed her, swinging again with the knife. “Get away from her!” She yelled, backing up to stand in front of Catra.

Glimmer, as well as the girl in the heavy coat, stared at her with worried expressions. “She doesn’t recognize us,” The ice girl said, distraught.

“Frosta, you go around,” Glimmer said, her expression turning to concentration. “We’ll grab Adora and get out of here,”

Adora bent down, her eyes still on her opponents. She used her knife to cut away Catra’s net. “Adora!” A voice yelled. A young man jumped down from a tree, landing near Glimmer and Frosta. “It’s us, your friends!” He wore a white and yellow uniform, as well as a quiver of arrows on his back.

“Don’t bother,” Another voice said. A third woman appeared, taller than the others and wearing blue silk clothing. She held a trident in one hand. “Catra did something to her,”

“Then we’ll just have to undo it,” Glimmer said. “Frosta, like I said! Bow, cover us! Mermista, get in close!”

All four of them sprung into action. Catra jumped back, finding a discarded rifle on the ground and bringing it to her shoulder. Before she could fire, she was forced to duck as two arrows sailed by. A moment later Mermista was on top of her, swinging with her trident.

Catra deflected the first swing with her claw, then side-stepped a jab. She tried to grab the weapon, but Mermista was faster, lashing out with the butt and knocking Catra to the ground. “AHHHHH!” Scorpia yelled, barreling in and swinging her gun like a club. “I’ll save you Catra!” Mermista deflected the heavy swings of her gun, jamming her prongs in the end and twisting the weapon out of Scorpia’s grasp. The armored woman didn’t miss a beat, wailing on Mermista with her claws. The two exchanged blows as they circled each other.

Glimmer teleported around Adora, striking at her with her staff. Adora could barely keep up, throwing up arms and her knife to protect herself against the weapon. As Catra charged to aid her, a torrent of ice swept under the princess’s feet, freezing Adora in place. “Please forgive me!” Glimmer yelled, catching Adora in the stomach with her staff. The teleporting princess then knocked her across the head. A third strike broke the ice, and Adora crumbled to the ground. “Bow!” Glimmer yelled, picking up the dazed princess. “Help me!”

“NO!” Catra yelled, running them down. She was forced to stop as a wall of ice shot up in front of her.

“Mermista!” Glimmer yelled from the other side. “We’ve got her, fall back!”

Catra clambered up the ice wall, but couldn’t get a grip. She watched through the clear surface as Glimmer and Bow carried Adora away. “NO!” Catra yelled, punching the ice. 

“We can’t let her escape!” Scorpia said, running up with the metal case. “We’ve got to get her the sword!”

“Give me that!” Catra yelled, swiping the case from Scorpia. She took off, running as fast as her legs would carry her. The drugs pumped through her veins, spurring her onward.

“The activation code!” Scorpia yelled after her. “It’s _By the power of Grayskull_! She has to say it for it to work!”

Catra came around the ice wall, gripping the case to her. She could see Glimmer and Bow disappearing among the trees. It wasn’t possible. Everything Trent said was true. They were taking Adora away from her. Catra dug her claws into the earth, propelling herself forward. She continued chasing them, flying past trees and tearing through underbrush.

Her opponents emerged into a clearing, Catra hot on their trail. The space was filled with ruins and overgrown grass. Catra grit her teeth as she neared. A shape appeared nearby, forcing her to throw up the case as a shield. She deflected a trident, then spun around as a jet of water flew past.

Catra found her feet, facing off against Mermista. Instead of engaging her, the short-furred girl dug into the ground with a claw and threw dirt at the princess’s face. Catra then took off.

Ahead of her, Frosta paused, turning and raising her hands. Catra was ready however, knocking her aside with the metal case and charging onward. “Bow!” Glimmer yelled.

“I’m on it!” Bow said, spinning and notching an arrow. Catra brought up the metal case as he released it, the arrow rebounding off its surface. She swung the case, knocking Bow aside, then used the momentum to carry onward.

Glimmer dropped Adora, readying her staff. Catra swung the case like a club, forcing the princess to teleport away. The former force captain dropped down by Adora, shaking her. “Wake up! Wake up!”

“I’m up,” Adora mumbled, blinking her eyes. Catra shoved the case into her arms.

“Open it, it’s your sword!”

Adora’s eyes focused, her expression shocked. “My _what?_

“Just open it!” Catra yelled, spinning as Glimmer appeared in front of her. She deflected the first staff blow with a claw, bending backwards to avoid the weapon as it passed overhead. Catra flipped over, pressing her claws into the earth and lashing out with both her feet.

She caught Glimmer in the chest, sending her backwards. Catra scrambled to her feet, jerking violently as a stream of ice struck her arm. She felt a chill run up and down her body as the ice hardened.

“Oh,” Adora said, her voice quiet. Catra turned, spotting the princess kneeling over the open sword case. “Is this really…?”

“By the power of Grayskull!” Catra yelled, swinging her iced arm like a weapon. Frosta was in front of her, the princess’s own arms encased in ice. The two frozen blocks shattered as they impacted.

“What?” Adora said, lifting the sword with a puzzled expression.

“Adora no!” Bow yelled, notching an arrow.

Catra’s body was completely in combat mode. The world seemed to slow around her. She knocked aside Frosta with a swipe of her claw, then got on all fours as she charged Bow. “It’s the activation code! Say it!” She reached Bow, moving her head as an arrow shot past.

Adora raised the sword in the air. “ADORA NO!” Glimmer yelled from the ground. “You don’t know what you’re doing!”

The princess glanced at Catra fighting Bow, then took a deep breath. “By the POWER OF GRAYSKULL!”

Light enveloped her, raising her in the air. Her hair grew longer as she grew taller. Her clothes changed, dazzling those watching. She lowered to the ground, a smile on her face. A moment later, Adora cried out in pain as her eyes went red.

“no,” Glimmer said, her voice horrified.

Adora let out a feral scream. “aaaaaAAAHHHHHHH!” She charged both Catra and Glimmer. Glimmer teleported away, though only a short distance. Catra remained frozen in surprise. At the last moment she ducked out of the way, the sword passing dangerously close.

Her hands found the ground as Catra backflipped away. She landed low, then backflipped again as Adora chased after. Three arrows from Bow gave the princess pause as she deflected them. She turned and charged him.

Catra slowly stood, watching Adora. The princess swung relentlessly at Bow until Mermista intervened. The water princess twirled her trident, but a vicious swing from Adora knocked it away. A moment later the She-Ra warrior drove her blade into Mermista’s stomach.

Glimmer let out a scream, teleporting in close to Adora. She let lose of flurry of staff strikes, but She-Ra deflected them all with ease. The golden warrior brought down her blade, then drove the hilt as hard as she could into Glimmer’s cheek. The teleporting princess went down, instantly unconscious.

Frosta and Bow both jumped into action. The young man released arrow after arrow as the princess threw bolts of ice. She-Ra swung her sword, knocking the projectiles away, then charged.

“Bow!” Frosta yelled, a look of terror on her face. “We have to retreat!”

“I’m not leaving Glimmer!” Bow yelled, drawing back his bow string. “And Mermista’s wounded!”

Before he could fire, Catra was upon him. She snapped his taunt string with her claw, then used her other hand to deliver a punch to his gut. Bow doubled over, exhaling in pain. Before Catra could deal the death blow, She-Ra swung her sword, cutting Catra down her shoulder. She cried out in pain, falling to her knees.

She-Ra raised her weapon as she stood over her. “adora,” Catra said, gazing up at her in shock.

“YARRRRRRR!” Scorpia yelled, bowling into She-Ra. Gunfire erupted as city soldiers emerged into the clearing.

“BOW!” Frosta yelled. She threw up a wall of ice, separating her and the young man from the rest. Bow ran up to the wall, placing his hands to the cold surface as bullets chipped away the other side. Scorpia and She-Ran continued fighting, until a solid blow from the armored woman knocked the sword from her grasp.

A bright light flashed, then Adora was back to normal. She shakily fell to the ground, her eyes closed. Catra slowly stood, walking over to Mermista and Glimmer. Soldiers were already applying first aid to the water princess’s wound. One tried to tend to Catra, but she shoved him away.

She slowly approached the wall of ice, staring at Bow and Frosta on the other side. The young man still had his hands to the surface, a look of anguish on his face. Catra slowly raised her good arm, placing her own hand to the opposite side. “You will _never_ take her away from me,” Catra said, then turned and walked away. She felt Bow’s and Frosta’s eyes on her as she walked.

“Catra!” Scorpia yelled, running over to her. “You’re bleeding! That’s a deep gash! Please let me wrap it for you!” She worked her claws, then regarded them in sorrow. “Or…maybe someone else should,”

Catra said nothing as a city soldier began applying a strange gel to her wound. This time she didn’t shove them away, simply watching as the soldiers collected Adora, Mermista and Glimmer. Adora had a happy, dazed expression on her face. She flicked the face of the soldier trying to lift her, giggling.

“Scorpia! Catra!” She turned, spotting Lonnie and Rogelio. They emerged into the clearing with several more soldiers, jogging up to the center. Catra glanced over her shoulder at the ice wall. Bow and Frosta were nowhere to be seen. “What’s the status!” Lonnie said, coming to a stop near them.

Gesturing at Glimmer, Catra turned up her chin. “See for yourself, we took care of it,”

The soldiers injected both captured princesses with something, then bound their hands and feet with zip-ties. Glimmer and Mermista quickly slipped into a deeper unconsciousness. The soldiers then pulled black bags over their heads and lifted them onto stretchers. Catra approached Adora, who was being helped up by two soldiers.

“Hey there,” Adora said, slurring her words as she tried to focus on Catra. “You’re a,” She laughed. “...pretty kitty,”

Catra narrowed her eyes, then took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. “This isn’t good,” Lonnie said, her expression stern. “We’ve only got two of them,”

“It’s enough,” Catra said, her tone dismissive. “We need to get back,”

Lonnie marched up to her, pointing a finger in her face. “It is _not_ enough. We need to return with all the terrorists, or we might as well not return at all,”

“I’m taking Adora back,” Catra said. “With or without you,”

The two faced off for a tense moment, the soldiers around them watching. “Fine,” Lonnie said, gritting her teeth. “But I’m telling them it was all your fault,”

Catra turned, her tail swishing slowly. “Suit yourself,” She motioned for the two soldiers carrying Adora. “Follow me,”

“Now hold on,” Scorpia said, laughing nervously. “You’re not going to walk, are you? We’re supposed to call for an extraction!”

“Then do it!” Catra snapped, prompting a hurt expression from Scorpia.

“Oh, okay, jeeze,” She said, itching the back of her neck with a claw. “No need to yell at me…”

The soldiers slowly let Adora sit on the ground. The princess laughed, trying to snag the helmet off one of them. “Give me!” she said, grinning and attempting again.

“What is wrong with you,” Catra said, her tempter short. “Get ahold of yourself,”

“ _You_ get ahold of…me!” Adora said, giggling. “And I will liffffftttt you over my head!”

Scorpia approached, clearing her throat. “Uhhh, yeah, I’ve seen this before. She’s uh…gonna be like this for awhile,”

Catra dropped down to the ground next to Adora and drew her knees to herself. The drug still pumped through her, forcing her thoughts forward at blistering speeds. She was starting to get a headache. “Just call us a pick up,”

It only took a moment. Three strange craft appeared overhead, unlike anything the star-stripes had. They slowly lowered, their jets forcing the grass flat. “oooooohhhhh!” Adora said, pointing. “Big, metal, bad birds,”

“Lift her up,” Catra said, watching as the soldiers obeyed. Adora, as well as Mermista and Glimmer, were loaded onto the craft. Catra stayed next to the princess as she was laid back against a seat and buckled in.

“Oh no you don’t!” Adora said, swinging lazily at the soldier tightening her harness. “You’ll…never capture me!”

Catra shooed the soldier away and knelt in front of Adora. She tightened the harness herself, checking the princess over. “are you okay,” She said, her voice low.

“Oh, I’m….more than okay!” Adora said, grinning. “I _like_ you,”

Her cheeks burning, Catra straightened up and sat down next to Adora in a huff. The soldiers finished boarding, then the crafts lurched towards the sky, prompting Catra to buckle herself in. 

The ride back was tense. Lonnie and Rogelio sat across from her, staring at Catra with narrowed eyes. Scorpia sat next to them, a pensive expression on her face. Catra ignored all three, studying the two princesses on the stretcher’s between them.

“Who are they,” She said, finally breaking the silence.

“Oh!” Scorpia said, clearly happy to clear the tension. She pointed a claw. “That one’s Glimmer, she can teleport and stuff. Also! She’s from Bright Moon, which uh…was destroyed.” She moved her claw. “And that one is Mermista of Salineas! Real nice gal, would love to talk with her more,”

“Enough Scorpia,” Lonnie said, still glaring at Catra. “Don’t be so eager to share with a dead girl,”

Catra ignored her, as well as the confused expression on Scorpia’s face. The group fell into silence again, save Adora, who giggled and pointed out anything she found interesting inside the craft. 

After a stretch of flying, the city appeared on the horizon. The sun reflected off its buildings, filling the sky with an ominous, expansive glare. Catra watched their approach, a thousand feelings swirling around inside her.

She didn’t know how to feel about what happened to Adora. Catra was angry at herself for giving her the sword. Angry at what it had done to Adora. She was worried at what would happen next. She just wanted to return, to confront Trent. There was more Catra wanted, but she was too tense, and her arm ached. She didn’t want to think, just get Adora to safety. Away from those who would take her from her.

The thought caused Catra a surge of shame. She didn’t understand why, nor did she have time to process it as the crafts passed over the walls. They circled once around a cleared space among the skyscrapers, then lowered.

Hundreds of city soldiers were waiting for them. The crafts touched down, the ex-horde soldiers hopping out. Catra turned to Adora, who had fallen asleep in her seat. “hey,” she said, shaking the princess. “Wake up,” Adora simply mumbled, trying to push Catra’s hand away. The short-furred girl ignored it, unbuckling Adora from the seat.

“Well well well!” Catra grit her teeth, recognizing the voice. She looked over her shoulder, spotting Trent hanging in the entrance to the craft. “Look who’s back,” Catra turned back to Adora, finishing unbuckling her and helping the princess up. “Hmmm,” Trent said, walking confidently into the craft. “I’m only counting two princesses here. Perhaps the rest are in the other craft?”

Catra got under Adora’s arm, supporting her as she turned to Trent. “We got two. That’s all,”

Trent sucked in air through his teeth, then shook his head. “Catra Catra Catra, I expected more from you. This is…not going to go over well with my superiors,”

“Here’s what’s going to happen,” Catra said, narrowing her eyes. “You’re going to give me and Adora our memories back. Then, and only then, will we continue working for you,”

Trent let out a laugh. “Oh, is this is a negotiation? Forgive me, I hadn’t noticed. An account of we hold all the cards, and you hold none,”

Catra slowly let Adora down to the floor. She remained kneeling, then sprung across the craft. Tackling Trent, she forced him from the vehicle out to the space beyond. They both landed on the hard surface. Catra towered over him, oblivious to the hundreds of guns pointing at her. “Pick an eye,” she said.

“What?” Trent said, laughing nervously.

“I said pick an eye. I’m about to take a souvenir,”

Trent held up his palms. “No hold on Catra, don’t do anything stupid,” 

Without another word, Catra swung her claw and took her eye. Trent looked shocked for a moment, his empty socket bright red. He let out a hideous scream. “SHOOT HER!” 

“Do not do that,” Another voice said. “Or the man who does will be water-boarded to death,” Catra looked up, spotting two of the men, as well as the woman, from the conference room. The man known as Mr. Mercer walked up to where Trent lay, staring down at him. “Serves you right you little PR shit,” The man turned to several soldiers. “Get him out of my sight,” He turned back to Catra, looking her up and down. The cat girl remained standing, her shoulders tense, the eye clutched in her palm. “So, you only got two,”

“I want my memories back,” Catra said, gritting her teeth.

Mr. Mercer smiled. It was not a nice smile. “Oh? And then what little girl?”

Catra took a deep breath. “After Adora and I have them, we’ll finish the job. All the princesses. Dead or alive,”

“Well…” The man said, then chuckled. He looked first at the other man, then the woman. “That seems like a fair deal to me,”

“WHAT!” Trent yelled, the soldiers dragging him away.

“Ignore him,” Mr. Mercer said, adjusting his sleeve. He finished, then regarded Catra. After a moment he nodded. “Very well,”

Catra dropped the eye she was holding in surprise. “What?”

“I said very well. Come with us, and we’ll get your memories back,”

Her knees almost failed her. Catra remained standing by sheer force of will alone, her mind reeling. “…really?”

Mr. Mercer smiled again. “Why not? Just remember your promise of course. Once you have them back, you bring us the rest of the princesses. And you will serve us, with all your heart and soul,”

Catra just stood there, thinking furiously. Finally, she turned back to the craft. “Let me…go get Adora,”

The soldiers watched in silence as Catra helped Adora down from the craft and across the cement clearing. Mr. Mercer, and the man and woman, led them towards a building. Adora continued to slip in and out of sleepiness, sometimes sagging in Catra’s grasp. The former force captain kept her upright, shepherding her onward.

Once inside the building, they were led down a series of white hallways. Mr. Mercer stopped in front of a large glass window, nodding towards a door next to it. Beyond the glass was a large, strange machine, as well as several technicians wearing lab coats. Catra just stared at them through the glass.

“Well?” Mr. Mercer said, still wearing his cruel smile. “There it is, the machine that will undo all the damage. Why don’t you go first?”

Catra didn’t respond for a moment. She glanced at the man. “I want…Adora with me. I don’t want her to leave my sight,”

Laughing, Mr. Mercer gestured. “Sure, why not. This should be interesting, after all,”

The door opened. Still supporting Adora, Catra slowly walked into the room. She paused once inside, regarding the machine and technicians. “Lay down here,” One of them said, motioning at a bed near the machine. Catra slowly set Adora down, who mumbled sleepily and tried to grab her tail. Straightening back up, Catra slowly approached the machine.

She stood over the bed, looking down at it. Catra climbed onto the sheet, her heart pounding in her chest. Lying down, she stared up at the white ceiling. “It’s a simple procedure,” Another technician said. “Put this in your mouth, and do not move your head once you’re inside,”

The short-furred girl accepted a mouth guard, slipping it between her teeth. Catra took a deep breath, then nodded that she was ready. The machine hummed to life.

The technicians secured her head using a single strap. Catra was about to protest with her claws, but they didn’t restrain any other part of her. Her fist slowly relaxed. They wheeled her bed towards the humming machine, leaving her inside.

“Ready to begin the procedure,” A technician said. “In three, two, one,”

Catra felt a burning sensation in her mind. Her whole body grew tense. A moment later, a searing headache overtook her.

Her memories came flooding back. Catra’s entire world spun as colors exploded in her mind. She remembered everything. Her vision faded, her world turning to darkness.

_…Adora…_

_With Catra's memories returned, what lies in store for our hero? Will she continue to serve the city? Will her bond with Adora remain unbroken? Find out as soon as Lop and Wolf Blitzer finish the 3rd season of_ She-Ra, Princess of Power!


End file.
